Centerpoint Energy Inc (CNP)
Utilities · Multi-Utilities · US stock · S&P 500 component
$41.07
▼ -0.13 (0.32%)
Fair valueFair
$38 −8.5% to fair value
$19fair band $32–$46$56
Day's range
$40.92 – $41.22
52-week range
$36.37 – $45.26
About Centerpoint Energy Inc
CenterPoint Energy is a Houston-based energy delivery company. It operates the electricity transmission and distribution system serving the Houston area and distributes natural gas to homes and businesses in several states, and it also provides electricity in Indiana. Customers are households, businesses and industrial users, and rates are set by state and local regulators.
Revenue comes from regulated charges for delivering electricity and natural gas. It totals $9.4 billion over the last twelve months, with revenue growth over three years of 0.1% a year. The operating margin is 22.6%, and the business earns a profit of 5% on the capital invested in it. CenterPoint carries net debt of 5.7 times EBITDA, and the dividend yield is 2.2%. On the site's X-Ray Score it receives 38 out of 100.
Price chart
52-wk range $36.37 – $45.26Volume 6,878,218Daily, split-adjusted
Vitals
Market cap$27.1B
52-week range$36.37 – $45.26
Volume (last day)6,878,218
P/E (TTM)25.2
EBIT / EV yield4.4%
Free-cash-flow yield-9.9%
Dividend yield2.2%
Revenue (TTM)$9.4B
Net income (TTM)$1.1B
Operating margin22.6%
Return on capital5.4%
Debt incl. leases$22.5B
Cash & securities$1.2B
Debt = borrowings plus lease liabilities. Cash & securities = cash, equivalents and short-term marketable securities (long-term securities are not counted, so net cash can be understated for companies that hold large long-term investments). Net debt = debt minus cash & securities. Source: latest SEC 10-Q/10-K. EBIT / EV yield = operating profit divided by market cap plus net debt.
Fair value estimate
$38middle half of models $34 – $40
Fair
−8.5% to fair value
Average of the 11 valuation models that pass our checks: multiples, discounted cash flow, dividend discount and earnings power value. A model more than 100% above or 60% below the price is left out as unrealistic. Model uncertainty is High, based on how far apart the models are. Undervalued or Overvalued means the gap to fair value is more than 17.5%.
Price $41
Undervalued < $32Fair $32 – $46Overvalued > $46
P/E multiple
$40
P/B multiple
$36
P/S multiple
$35
EV/EBITDA multiple
$40
EV/EBIT multiple
$38
EV/revenue multiple
$33
10-year DCF, EBITDA exit · not used
$3
5-year DCF, EBITDA exit
$21
10-year DCF, revenue exit · not used
$2
5-year DCF, revenue exit
$19
5-year DCF, growth exit · not used
$15
Dividend discount, stable
$43
Dividend discount, multi-stage
$70
Earnings power value
$39
Growth the price implies
12.5%/yr
A model estimate, not a price target or recommendation. Inputs: risk-free 4.96%, equity risk premium 4.30% (Damodaran). How it works.
What this means
Weak business, fairly priced
The price sits inside our fair-value band. A high score does not guarantee a good outcome; it shifts the odds a little. Use the checklist as a prompt for your own research.
Before you invest · decision checklist
Ticked boxes are filled in from our data; the rest are yours to answer.
The five-lens scan
Every score explained in one sentence, ranked against Utilities peers. Open a lens to see the numbers behind it.
Strong: 70 to 100Fair: 50 to 69Weak: under 50No score: not enough data
Valuation
Weak
32/100
Expensive against its sector on earnings and cash flow.
See the numbers →
EBIT / EV yield4.4%
Free-cash-flow yield-9.9%
Fair value vs price0.9×
Growth
Weak
23/100
Growing slower than most of its sector.
See the numbers →
Revenue growth (3y)0.1%
EPS growth (3y)0.2%
Growth consistency70%
Profitability
Weak
49/100
Earns lower returns on its capital than most peers.
See the numbers →
Return on invested capital5.4%
Operating margin22.6%
Gross profitability19.6%
Financial health
Weak
43/100
Balance sheet is more stretched than most peers.
See the numbers →
Piotroski F-Score4 / 9
Net debt / EBITDA5.7×
Interest cover2.2×
Dividends
Weak
42/100
Dividend is modest or less certain than peers.
See the numbers →
Dividend yield2.2%
Dividend growth9.3%
Quarterly results: last 6 quarters
+3.7%
Dec '24
+12.8%
Mar '25
+2.5%
Jun '25
+7.2%
Sep '25
+8.7%
Dec '25
+0.6%
Mar '26
Revenue against the same quarter a year earlier. Latest quarter revenue $3.0B, diluted EPS $0.48.
Compare with peers
ED Consolidated Edison In...70 AEE Ameren Corp55 NI Nisource Inc.55 DTB Dte Energy Co54Other Multi-Utilities companies by X-Ray Score.
SWOT analysis: Centerpoint Energy Inc
Strengthsinside the company
- No standout strength in the figures we track.
Weaknessesinside the company
- Return on invested capital is only 5.4% (median 4.8% for industry peers), so the business earns little above its cost of capital.
- Free cash flow is negative, so spending or debt has to be financed from outside.
- Net debt is 5.7x EBITDA, above the 3x level that lenders usually watch.
- Operating profit covers interest only 2.2x.
Opportunitiesvaluation and setting
- Revenue growth picked up to 8.3% last year from 0.1% a year over three years.
- Price momentum is strong on the weekly and monthly signals (trends can reverse).
Threatsvaluation and setting
- Heavy debt makes profits sensitive to interest rates and refinancing conditions.
- Valuation uncertainty is high: the models give widely different values, so the fair value range is wide.
- Our Market Compass rates the backdrop for Utilities as unfavourable.
Written by fixed rules from the figures on this page and the peer table below: filings, our fair value, the sector climate and the price trend. It summarises the data, it is not a forecast or advice.
Compare CNP with peers and sector
Medians of 11 Multi-Utilities peers and of 30 Utilities stocks in our universe.
Largest peers (X-Ray Score): NEE 44, D 53, SRE 33, XEL 27, ED 70, AEE 55.
| Metric | CNP | Peers | Sector |
|---|---|---|---|
| X-Ray Score (out of 100) | 38 | 45 | 50 |
| Valuation | 32 | 53 | 51 |
| Growth | 23 | 53 | 53 |
| Profitability | 49 | 40 | 50 |
| Financial health | 43 | 47 | 52 |
| Dividends | 42 | 55 | 55 |
Sector leaders: highest X-Ray Score in Utilities
CNP ranks #28 of 31 in Utilities and #9 of 12 in Multi-Utilities by X-Ray Score. A higher score is stronger on our five pillars; it is a ranking of facts, not a forecast.
Green means better than the peer median, red worse (only where a higher or lower figure is clearly better). A dash means too few companies report the figure. P/E, EV/EBITDA and price changes are not graded: a different level is not good or bad by itself.
Factor ratings for CNP
Each factor is rated by where CNP stands among the 31 Utilities stocks in our universe.
Rating against the sector
Goodthe top third of these stocks
Averagethe middle third of these stocks
Badthe bottom third of these stocks
"Beats" is the share of those stocks it is ahead of.
Against its own history
The last columns set today's figure against the company's own median of its last five financial years:
▲ Betterbetter than its usual level
▼ Worseworse than its usual level
≈ In linewithin its usual range
For valuation factors Good means cheaper than most of the sector and Better means cheaper than usual for this company, which is not the same as a bargain.
In total: 3 Good · 8 Average · 10 Bad of 21
Growth: 0 · 0 · 3
Profitability: 1 · 3 · 1
Financial strength: 1 · 2 · 1
Valuation: 0 · 2 · 3
Cash flow: 0 · 1 · 2
Efficiency: 1 · 0 · 0
| Factor | CNP | Rating | Sector median | Own 5-year median | Against own history |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Growth | |||||
| Revenue growth, 3 years a year | +0.1% | Bad beats 22% | +3.4% | – | – |
| Revenue growth, last year | +8.3% | Bad beats 32% | +9.6% | +8.3% | ≈ In line |
| EPS growth, 3 years a year | +0.2% | Bad beats 9% | +8.1% | – | – |
| Profitability | |||||
| Gross margin | 100.0% | Good beats 100% | 47.1% | 98.9% | ≈ In line |
| Operating margin | 22.6% | Average beats 45% | 22.9% | 20.2% | ▲ Better |
| Net margin | 11.4% | Bad beats 32% | 14.4% | 11.3% | ≈ In line |
| Return on invested capital | 5.4% | Average beats 40% | 5.5% | – | – |
| Return on equity | 9.4% | Average beats 34% | 10.1% | 9.6% | ≈ In line |
| Financial strength | |||||
| Net debt / EBITDA | 5.7x | Average beats 52% | 5.8x | 5.9x | ≈ In line |
| Interest cover | 2.2x | Average beats 34% | 2.5x | 2.4x | ≈ In line |
| Current ratio | 1.16 | Good beats 85% | 0.78 | 0.92 | ▲ Better |
| Piotroski F-score | 4 / 9 | Bad beats 13% | 6 / 9 | – | – |
| Valuation | |||||
| P/E ratio | 25.3x | Bad beats 18% | 21.6x | 19.7x | ▼ Worse |
| Price / book | 2.4x | Bad beats 31% | 2.1x | 1.9x | ▼ Worse |
| Price / sales | 2.9x | Average beats 52% | 2.9x | 2.1x | ▼ Worse |
| EV / EBITDA | 13.0x | Average beats 63% | 13.9x | 12.0x | ≈ In line |
| Free cash flow yield | -9.9% | Bad beats 19% | -5.0% | -11.6% | ▲ Better |
| Cash flow | |||||
| Free cash flow margin | -28.5% | Bad beats 8% | -9.1% | -27.5% | ≈ In line |
| Cash from operations / net income | 2.20 | Average beats 50% | 2.20 | 2.10 | ≈ In line |
| Accruals (lower is better) | −2.7% | Bad beats 31% | −3.3% | – | – |
| Efficiency | |||||
| Days sales outstanding | 34 days | Good beats 74% | 44 days | 30 days | ≈ In line |
These ratings compare companies with each other and describe the past; they are not a forecast, a recommendation or part of the X-Ray Score. A factor is left out when its data is missing or meaningless (for example a P/E on negative earnings). A dash in the history columns means fewer than three usable years.
Fundamentals checklist
● 3 Good · ● 5 Average · ● 7 BadCash quality
Earnings backed by cashBad
Free-cash-flow yieldBad
Risk models
Altman Z''Good
Piotroski F-ScoreBad
Growth
EPS growth (3y)Bad
Revenue growth (3y)Bad
Growth consistencyBad
Balance sheet
Current ratioGood
Net debt / EBITDAAverage
Interest coverAverage
Valuation
Fair value vs priceBad
EBIT / EV yieldAverage
Profitability
Return on invested capitalAverage
Operating marginAverage
Gross profitabilityGood
Each check is graded against the company's sector, not a fixed number. Checklist score 40/100.
Financials
| FY21 | FY22 | FY23 | FY24 | FY25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $8.4B | $9.3B | $8.7B | $8.6B | $9.4B |
| Operating income | $1.4B | $1.6B | $1.8B | $2.0B | $2.1B |
| Net income | $1.5B | $1.1B | $917M | $1.0B | $1.1B |
| Operating cash flow | $22M | $1.8B | $3.9B | $2.1B | $2.5B |
| Operating margin | 16.3% | 16.8% | 20.2% | 23.0% | 22.5% |
| Free cash flow | −$3.1B | −$2.6B | −$524M | −$2.4B | −$2.4B |
| Diluted EPS | $2.28 | $1.59 | $1.37 | $1.58 | $1.60 |
Fiscal years, from SEC filings.
Technical summary
Daily
Bullish
11 bullish · 1 neutral · 4 bearish
Weekly
Strongly bullish
9 bullish · 1 neutral · 2 bearish
Monthly
Strongly bullish
6 bullish · 1 neutral · 1 bearish
Moving averages (daily)
| SMA 10 | 40.08 | Bullish |
| EMA 10 | 40.10 | Bullish |
| SMA 20 | 38.90 | Bullish |
| EMA 20 | 39.47 | Bullish |
| SMA 50 | 38.99 | Bullish |
| EMA 50 | 39.46 | Bullish |
| SMA 100 | 40.80 | Bullish |
| EMA 100 | 40.11 | Bullish |
| SMA 200 | 41.15 | Bearish |
| EMA 200 | 40.13 | Bullish |
Oscillators (daily)
| RSI (14) | 67.14 | Neutral |
| MACD (12, 26) | 0.59 | Bullish |
| Momentum (12) | 6.59 | Bullish |
| Stochastic %K (14) | 95.28 | Bearish |
| Williams %R (14) | -4.72 | Bearish |
| CCI (20) | 124.0 | Bearish |
Pivot points (classic, last session)
S3 40.62 | S2 40.77 | S1 40.92 | Pivot 41.07 | R1 41.22 | R2 41.37 | R3 41.52 |
Signals describe what the chart is doing, not what to do. Moving averages: price above the average is bullish. Oscillators use the usual thresholds (RSI 30/70, Stochastic 20/80, CCI ±100, Williams %R −80/−20; MACD and momentum above zero are bullish). Weekly and monthly views use closing prices only.
Dividends
Paid, last 12 months
0.92 USD
Yield on today's price
2.24%
Frequency
Quarterly
Next ex-dividend date
19 Nov 2026
| Ex-dividend date | Amount per share |
|---|---|
| (upcoming) | 0.2400 |
| 0.2400 | |
| 0.2300 | |
| 0.2300 | |
| 0.2200 | |
| 0.2200 | |
| 0.2200 | |
| 0.2200 | |
| 0.2100 | |
| 0.2000 | |
| 0.2000 | |
| 0.2000 |
Ex-dividend dates and amounts from EODHD. Shown as declared, before tax.
ETFs that hold CNP
| ETF | Share of the fund |
|---|---|
| TCAF T. Rowe Price Capital Appreciation Equ... | 3.03% |
| GQGU The Advisors’ Inner Circle Fund III | 2.13% |
| XLU Utilities Select Sector SPDR | 2.03% |
| VPU Vanguard Utilities | 1.82% |
| FUTY Fidelity MSCI Utilities Index | 1.79% |
| IDU iShares U.S. Utilities | 1.70% |
| EMLP First Trust North American Energy Infr... | 1.43% |
| SPLV Invesco S&P 500 Low Volatility | 1.23% |
The eight funds with the largest weight in CNP among the ETFs we cover, from each fund's latest SEC Form N-PORT (quarter-end positions, so they can be months old). All ETFs.
CNP stock splits
CNP has split its stock once since 1995. The latest was a 2-for-1 split on 11 Dec 1995.
Full CNP stock split history →CNP SEC filings
8-KSEC EDGAR
Entered a material agreement
8-KSEC EDGAR
Completed an acquisition or disposal; Regulation FD disclosure
8-KSEC EDGAR
Other events
8-KSEC EDGAR
Entered a material agreement; Other events
8-KSEC EDGAR
Entered a material agreement
424B5SEC EDGAR
424B5
10-QSEC EDGAR
Quarterly report
8-KSEC EDGAR
Results of operations; Regulation FD disclosure
Where the numbers come from
Statements SEC EDGAR filings (10-K, 10-Q), quarters derived from year-to-date figures.
Prices end-of-day closes, split-adjusted.
Industry inputs beta, multiples and equity risk premium from Damodaran Online (NYU Stern).
StocksXray is for education only and is not financial advice. Scores and fair values are model estimates from public filings and carry uncertainty.