CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $43.63 and last traded at $43.3610, with a volume of 4602389 shares. The stock had previously closed at $43.50.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on CNP. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of CenterPoint Energy from $43.00 to $41.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, December 11th. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of CenterPoint Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, February 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of CenterPoint Energy from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, UBS Group decreased their target price on shares of CenterPoint Energy from $45.00 to $43.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $42.55.

CenterPoint Energy Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $28.73 billion, a PE ratio of 27.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.91, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.84. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $40.27 and its 200 day moving average price is $39.24.

CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 19th. The utilities provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.46 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $2.51 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.23 billion. CenterPoint Energy had a return on equity of 10.46% and a net margin of 11.24%.During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.40 EPS. CenterPoint Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.900- EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that CenterPoint Energy, Inc. will post 1.75 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CenterPoint Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.23 per share. This is a positive change from CenterPoint Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.1%. CenterPoint Energy’s payout ratio is presently 57.50%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CenterPoint Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of CNP. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of CenterPoint Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in CenterPoint Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of CenterPoint Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $26,000. LRI Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of CenterPoint Energy by 107.9% during the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 684 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 355 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in CenterPoint Energy by 49.6% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 709 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CenterPoint Energy Company Profile

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.