Scotiabank Forecasts Lower Earnings for CenterPoint Energy

CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP) – Analysts at Scotiabank reduced their FY2025 earnings per share estimates for CenterPoint Energy in a report released on Friday, January 23rd. Scotiabank analyst A. Weisel now anticipates that the utilities provider will post earnings of $1.76 per share for the year, down from their prior estimate of $1.77. Scotiabank has a “Sector Outperform” rating and a $45.00 price objective on the stock. The consensus estimate for CenterPoint Energy’s current full-year earnings is $1.75 per share.

CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, October 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.46 by $0.04. CenterPoint Energy had a return on equity of 10.25% and a net margin of 11.37%.The company had revenue of $1.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.04 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.31 EPS.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on CNP. Morgan Stanley restated an “underperform” rating and set a $37.00 price objective on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of CenterPoint Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Sunday. Evercore ISI started coverage on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a report on Monday, October 6th. They set an “in-line” rating and a $42.00 price target for the company. Mizuho set a $42.00 price objective on CenterPoint Energy in a report on Tuesday, October 21st. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded CenterPoint Energy from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $42.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 13th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CenterPoint Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $41.82.

CenterPoint Energy Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE CNP opened at $38.74 on Monday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $38.67 and its 200-day simple moving average is $38.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.38, a current ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.76. The firm has a market cap of $25.29 billion, a PE ratio of 24.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.59. CenterPoint Energy has a 52 week low of $31.76 and a 52 week high of $40.50.

CenterPoint Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 12th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 19th will be issued a $0.23 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, February 19th. This represents a $0.92 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.4%. This is an increase from CenterPoint Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.22. CenterPoint Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 55.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at CenterPoint Energy

In related news, Director Phillip R. Smith sold 6,200 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $38.83, for a total transaction of $240,746.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 65,577 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,546,354.91. This trade represents a 8.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of CenterPoint Energy during the third quarter worth $25,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. acquired a new position in CenterPoint Energy during the 2nd quarter worth about $26,000. Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. acquired a new position in CenterPoint Energy during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. LRI Investments LLC boosted its holdings in CenterPoint Energy by 107.9% during the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 684 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares during the period. Finally, Chung Wu Investment Group LLC acquired a new position in CenterPoint Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $29,000. 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.