Morgan Stanley Cuts CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) Price Target to $39.00

CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) had its price target trimmed by Morgan Stanley from $40.00 to $39.00 in a report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of CenterPoint Energy from $48.00 to $46.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of CenterPoint Energy from $48.00 to $47.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. BTIG Research began coverage on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. They issued a “neutral” rating on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group set a $50.00 target price on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a report on Thursday, June 18th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a research report on Monday, June 15th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $45.36.

CenterPoint Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE CNP opened at $38.81 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $42.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $42.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.95, a quick ratio of 0.97 and a current ratio of 1.12. CenterPoint Energy has a 52 week low of $36.60 and a 52 week high of $45.26. The firm has a market cap of $25.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.46.

CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The utilities provider reported $0.40 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.37 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $2.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.12 billion. CenterPoint Energy had a return on equity of 11.10% and a net margin of 11.61%.During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.29 EPS. CenterPoint Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.890-1.910 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that CenterPoint Energy will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CenterPoint Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, September 10th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 20th will be given a $0.24 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 20th. This represents a $0.96 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.5%. This is an increase from CenterPoint Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.23. CenterPoint Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.47%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CenterPoint Energy in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in CenterPoint Energy by 49.6% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 709 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. Keating Financial Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in CenterPoint Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its holdings in CenterPoint Energy by 165.0% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 734 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 457 shares during the period. Finally, DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in CenterPoint Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $35,000. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About CenterPoint Energy

CenterPoint Energy, Inc (NYSE: CNP) is a Houston-based regulated utility company that provides electric and natural gas delivery services and related infrastructure operations. The company’s principal activities center on the transmission and distribution of electricity in the greater Houston metropolitan area and the distribution of natural gas to customers across several states in the Midwest and South. As a vertically integrated utility, CenterPoint focuses on the reliable delivery of energy through owned and operated networks of lines, pipelines and associated facilities.

CenterPoint’s core businesses include regulated electric transmission and distribution services, regulated natural gas distribution, and the operation and maintenance of energy infrastructure.