CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP) Shares Sold by Maple Brown Abbott Ltd

Maple Brown Abbott Ltd cut its holdings in CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP) by 39.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 977,230 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 643,560 shares during the quarter. CenterPoint Energy makes up approximately 3.8% of Maple Brown Abbott Ltd’s portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Maple Brown Abbott Ltd owned 0.15% of CenterPoint Energy worth $31,008,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of CNP. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in CenterPoint Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $26,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of CenterPoint Energy by 51.3% during the third quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,106 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 375 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of CenterPoint Energy in the second quarter valued at $36,000. Kimelman & Baird LLC acquired a new stake in CenterPoint Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in CenterPoint Energy by 53.0% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 1,392 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 482 shares during the period. 91.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

CenterPoint Energy Stock Performance

Shares of CNP stock opened at $32.37 on Monday. CenterPoint Energy, Inc. has a 52 week low of $25.41 and a 52 week high of $33.12. The company has a market cap of $21.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.44, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.87. The business has a 50 day moving average of $31.95 and a two-hundred day moving average of $29.70.

CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) last posted its earnings results on Monday, October 28th. The utilities provider reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.31. CenterPoint Energy had a net margin of 11.25% and a return on equity of 9.73%. The firm had revenue of $1.86 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.88 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.40 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that CenterPoint Energy, Inc. will post 1.62 EPS for the current year.

CenterPoint Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, March 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, February 20th will be paid a $0.22 dividend. This is a boost from CenterPoint Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.21. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, February 20th. This represents a $0.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.72%. CenterPoint Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 55.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on CNP shares. Guggenheim cut shares of CenterPoint Energy from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com lowered CenterPoint Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH began coverage on CenterPoint Energy in a report on Thursday, December 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $34.50 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on CenterPoint Energy from $32.00 to $31.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of CenterPoint Energy from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $31.00 to $37.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CenterPoint Energy has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $31.38.

About CenterPoint Energy

CenterPoint Energy, Inc operates as a public utility holding company in the United States. The company operates through two segments, Electric and Natural Gas. The Electric segment includes electric transmission and distribution services to electric customers and electric generation assets, as well as optimizes assets in the wholesale power market.