CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP) Stake Increased by Hermes Investment Management Ltd.

Hermes Investment Management Ltd. boosted its stake in CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP) by 2.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 37,507 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,007 shares during the period. Hermes Investment Management Ltd.’s holdings in CenterPoint Energy were worth $1,027,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Genovese Burford & Brothers Wealth & Retirement Plan Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of CenterPoint Energy by 0.3% in the first quarter. Genovese Burford & Brothers Wealth & Retirement Plan Management LLC now owns 9,398 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $260,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Cleararc Capital Inc. boosted its stake in CenterPoint Energy by 0.8% in the first quarter. Cleararc Capital Inc. now owns 10,542 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $291,000 after buying an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Advantus Capital Management Inc boosted its stake in CenterPoint Energy by 0.3% in the first quarter. Advantus Capital Management Inc now owns 43,232 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,192,000 after buying an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Conning Inc. boosted its stake in CenterPoint Energy by 1.5% in the first quarter. Conning Inc. now owns 11,302 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $312,000 after buying an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atlantic Trust Group LLC boosted its stake in CenterPoint Energy by 2.0% in the first quarter. Atlantic Trust Group LLC now owns 10,278 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $284,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 77.35% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP) traded up 0.25% during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $28.54. The company had a trading volume of 2,701,124 shares. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $27.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $27.54. The firm has a market capitalization of $12.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.43 and a beta of 0.64. CenterPoint Energy, Inc. has a 12 month low of $21.83 and a 12 month high of $29.08.

CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 3rd. The utilities provider reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.22 by $0.07. CenterPoint Energy had a return on equity of 16.45% and a net margin of 6.86%. The firm had revenue of $2.14 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.98 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.17 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 36.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that CenterPoint Energy, Inc. will post $1.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 8th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 16th will be given a dividend of $0.2675 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 14th. This represents a $1.07 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.75%. CenterPoint Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 76.98%.

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on CNP shares. Deutsche Bank AG increased their target price on CenterPoint Energy from $27.00 to $28.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 11th. BidaskClub downgraded CenterPoint Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 13th. Zacks Investment Research downgraded CenterPoint Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 17th. Finally, J P Morgan Chase & Co started coverage on CenterPoint Energy in a report on Thursday, June 29th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $29.00 price target on the stock. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the company. The company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $27.33.

In related news, CEO Scott M. Prochazka sold 1,000 shares of CenterPoint Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, July 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $27.66, for a total transaction of $27,660.00. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders have sold a total of 3,000 shares of company stock valued at $84,560 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.20% of the company’s stock.

CenterPoint Energy Company Profile

CenterPoint Energy, Inc is a public utility holding company. The Company, through its subsidiaries, owns and operates electric transmission and distribution facilities, and natural gas distribution facilities. The Electric Transmission & Distribution segment provides electric transmission and distribution services to retail electric providers.