Milford Funds Ltd. Invests $7.85 Million in CenterPoint Energy, Inc. $CNP

Milford Funds Ltd. purchased a new position in CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 204,816 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $7,853,000.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Zacks Investment Management boosted its holdings in shares of CenterPoint Energy by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Zacks Investment Management now owns 31,142 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,208,000 after purchasing an additional 256 shares during the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CenterPoint Energy by 16.1% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 2,226 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 308 shares during the last quarter. Horizon Investments LLC boosted its holdings in shares of CenterPoint Energy by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Horizon Investments LLC now owns 10,483 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $402,000 after purchasing an additional 326 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of CenterPoint Energy by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 5,315 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $206,000 after acquiring an additional 333 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group lifted its holdings in shares of CenterPoint Energy by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 5,245 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $203,000 after acquiring an additional 369 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 91.77% of the company’s stock.

CenterPoint Energy Stock Performance

CenterPoint Energy stock opened at $42.85 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.96, a current ratio of 1.16 and a quick ratio of 1.04. CenterPoint Energy, Inc. has a 1-year low of $35.46 and a 1-year high of $44.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s 50-day moving average is $42.66 and its 200 day moving average is $41.20.

CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 23rd. The utilities provider reported $0.56 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.58 by ($0.02). CenterPoint Energy had a return on equity of 10.56% and a net margin of 11.38%.The firm had revenue of $2.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.98 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.53 earnings per share. CenterPoint Energy has set its FY 2026 guidance at 1.890-1.910 EPS. Research analysts forecast that CenterPoint Energy, Inc. will post 1.91 EPS for the current year.

CenterPoint Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, June 11th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 21st were given a $0.23 dividend. This represents a $0.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 21st. CenterPoint Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 56.44%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on CNP shares. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of CenterPoint Energy from $48.00 to $47.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 18th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their price target on shares of CenterPoint Energy from $44.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of CenterPoint Energy from $38.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of CenterPoint Energy in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on shares of CenterPoint Energy from $46.00 to $45.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CenterPoint Energy currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $44.62.

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.