Stock Analysis
CenterPoint Energy, Inc.CNP
P/E 23.91×· 5Y range 10.45–27.93×· 72th percentile of history
Sector: Utilities · Industry: Electric Services
AnalystsBuy23 analystsP/E 23.9× sits at the 72nd percentile of its 5.089664613278576-year history.
Cash covers 0% of debt · Q2 2026.
PMP Verdict
Weak fundamentals
Risks
- Financial Health25
- Growth26
Weak fundamentals — valuation is the only support.
What's happening with CNP
Profile
financial health, moat, growth and valuation lag behind.
How is each axis scored?
- Valuation37/100 · Weak
- P/E vs own history (72th pct)5/25
- FCF yield (-10.1%)0/25
- P/S (2.8x)20/25
- EV/EBIT (22.9x)12/25
- Growth26/100 · Weak
- Revenue CAGR (2.9%)6/25
- Net income CAGR (-8.3%)0/25
- EPS CAGR 5Y (-9.9%)0/25
- Fwd implied growth (29.0%)20/25
- Profitability57/100 · Moderate
- ROIC (4.9%)5/25
- ROE (9.5%)12/25
- Net margin (11.6%)20/25
- Operating margin (23.2%)20/25
- Financial Health25/100 · Weak
- Altman Z (0.72)3/25
- Current ratio (1.12)12/25
- Interest coverage (2.4x)10/25
- Net cash / debt (D/A 51%)0/25
- Quality55/100 · Moderate
- Piotroski F (6/9)15/25
- Beneish M (-2.40)20/25
- FCF conversion (-241%)0/25
- Margin stability (σ 5.5%)20/25
- Moat25/100 · Weak
- ROIC >12% years (0/10 yrs)0/25
- Median gross margin (97.0%)25/25
- FCF-positive years (2/10 yrs)0/25
- Worst-year net margin (worst -10.4%)0/25
Risk Flags
- ⚠Altman Z 0.7 — distress-zone balance sheet
- ⚠Negative FCF margin (-0.3%) — burning cash
- ⚠Interest coverage 2.4× — thin debt cushion
About CenterPoint Energy, Inc.
CenterPoint Energy owns a portfolio of businesses. Show more
Its regulated electric utilities provide transmission and distribution services to more than 2.5 million customers in the Houston area, southern Indiana, and west central Ohio.
Headquarters: HOUSTON, TX · Employees: 8,794 · Website ↗
Price History
Weekly Candlestick Chart — up to 5Y
Key Metrics
Financial snapshot · Tap any metric for its definition and grade
TTM Snapshot
trailing twelve months · YoYValuation
37DP/E (TTM)23.9xB
Grade B: FairPrice / TTM EPS (own statements) — vs own 5Y history: 10.5x–27.9x · 72nd pct
P/FCF44.5xC
Grade C: ExpensivePrice / Free Cash Flow per share (Finnhub). Inverse of FCF yield — negative when FCF is negative · CapEx exceeds operating cash flow (205% of OCF) — reported FCF understates normalized earning power in this investment phase
FCF Yield-10.1%D
Grade D: NegativeTTM (OCF − CapEx) / Market Cap — vs own 5Y history: -19.6%–-5.2% · 36th pct · CapEx exceeds operating cash flow (205% of OCF) — reported FCF understates normalized earning power in this investment phase
P/S (TTM)2.78xB
Grade B: FairPrice / TTM Revenue (own statements) — vs own 5Y history: 1.8x–3.2x · 83rd pct
EV/EBIT22.9xC
Grade C: ExpensiveEnterprise value / TTM EBIT (D&A not in our data) — capital-structure neutral — vs own 5Y history: 17.9x–25.6x · 74th pct
EV/Sales6.8xC
Grade C: ExpensiveEnterprise Value / TTM Revenue (Finnhub) — capital-structure neutral sales multiple
Forward P/E18.5xB
Grade B: FairPrice / next-year EPS estimate — shows whether the TTM multiple is rich or just front-loading growth
P/B Ratio2.28xA
Grade A: FairPrice to Book Value. Neg. equity = heavy buybacks
PEG Ratio2.51C
Grade C: ExpensiveFinnhub PEG — their P/E basis ÷ expected EPS growth. Suppressed when their P/E diverges >2× from our TTM P/E (different basis)
Dividend Yield2.24%A
Grade A: PaysTTM dividend yield (Finnhub) — annual dividends / price. None = no dividend; very high yield can signal distress
Payout Ratio52.7%A
Grade A: SafeDividends / Net Income (Finnhub) — share of earnings paid out; >90% or negative = unsustainable
CapEx exceeds OCF: CapEx exceeds operating cash flow (205% of OCF) — reported FCF understates normalized earning power in this investment phase
Profitability
57CROIC4.9%D
Grade D: LowNOPAT (EBIT less ~21% tax) / invested capital (equity + debt − cash). Flagship quality metric — durable >15% signals a moat
ROE9.5%D
Grade D: WeakReturn on Equity. Neg. equity = heavy buybacks
ROA2.4%D
Grade D: WeakReturn on Assets (Finnhub) — Net Income / Total Assets; how efficiently assets produce profit
Net Margin11.6%A
Grade A: HighNet Income / Revenue
Operating Margin23.2%C
Grade C: AverageTTM EBIT / TTM Revenue
Gross Margin100.0%A
Grade A: PremiumGross Profit / Revenue
FCF Margin-28.0%D
Grade D: LowFCF / Revenue · CapEx exceeds operating cash flow (205% of OCF) — reported FCF understates normalized earning power in this investment phase
True FCF Margin-28.0%D
Grade D: LowTTM (OCF − CapEx − SBC) / TTM Revenue — SBC treated as a real cost · CapEx exceeds operating cash flow (205% of OCF) — reported FCF understates normalized earning power in this investment phase
Growth
26ERevenue CAGR2.9%D
Grade D: LowCompound annual revenue growth (up to 5Y depending on data availability)
Net Income CAGR-8.3%D
Grade D: LowCompound annual net income growth (up to 5Y depending on data availability)
EPS CAGR (5Y)-9.9%D
Grade D: LowCompound annual EPS growth over up to 5Y of per-share earnings (own statements). Null when either endpoint EPS ≤ 0
Implied EPS Growth29.0%C
Grade C: MedAnalyst forward EPS (normalized basis) vs our GAAP TTM EPS — different bases, so extreme values usually mark cyclically depressed TTM earnings, not real growth
Dilution (5Y)+10.5%D
Grade D: DilutiveShare count change over 5Y
SBC / Net Income—
Stock-based comp/Net income. >30% = dilution risk
SBC / Revenue—
TTM stock-based comp / TTM Revenue
Financial Health
25EAltman Z-Score0.72D
Grade D: DistressBankruptcy risk. >3 Safe, <1.8 Distress
Current Ratio1.12xC
Grade C: OkCurrent Assets/Liabilities
Quick Ratio0.95xC
Grade C: Ok(Current Assets − Inventory) / Current Liabilities (Finnhub) — stricter liquidity test, excludes inventory
Interest Coverage2.4xD
Grade D: RiskyEBIT/Interest. >10 Strong
Debt Repayment—
Years to repay net debt via FCF · CapEx exceeds operating cash flow (205% of OCF) — reported FCF understates normalized earning power in this investment phase
Net Debt/EBIT11.0xD
Grade D: HighLeverage. <2x Low, >4x High
Debt/Equity2.10xD
Grade D: HighDebt / Equity: <1 Conservative, >2 Risky. Not meaningful with non-positive equity; shown as unavailable rather than low debt.
Cash / Debt0.00xD
Grade D: ThinCash covers how much of total debt. >1 = could repay all debt from cash
Quality
55CPiotroski F-Score6/9C
Grade C: AverageFinancial strength 0–9. >7 Strong
Beneish M-Score-2.40A
Grade A: SafeEarnings manipulation risk. < -2.22 Safe
FCF Conversion-241.3%D
Grade D: PoorFCF / Net Income · CapEx exceeds operating cash flow (205% of OCF) — reported FCF understates normalized earning power in this investment phase
Margin Stability5.5%A
Grade A: StableEBIT margin std deviation. Lower = stable
Capex / Revenue54.8%D
Grade D: HeavyTTM CapEx / TTM Revenue — high % = capital-hungry business
Asset Turnover0.35xD
Grade D: LowRevenue / Total Assets (Finnhub) — how efficiently the asset base generates sales
Insider Transactions
SEC Form 4 · 8 recordsP/S codes are the directional signal; grants, option exercises and tax withholding carry none. Form 4 doesn't flag 10b5-1 plans — scheduled sales may appear within open-market sells.
| Trade date | Insider | Transaction | Shares | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Clark Lauren Chesley Filed | Clark Lauren Chesley | Grant / award | +32.2K | |
Fitch Laurie Lee Filed | Fitch Laurie Lee | BuyOpen market buy | +1.0K | |
Wright Russell Keith Filed | Wright Russell Keith | Tax withholding | -211 | |
Soto Jesus Jr. Filed | Soto Jesus Jr. | Tax withholding | -1924 | |
Soto Jesus Jr. Filed | Soto Jesus Jr. | Tax withholding | -15151 |
Show 3 more filingsShow fewer filings
| Trade date | Insider | Transaction | Shares | Filed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Foster Christopher A Filed | Foster Christopher A | Tax withholding | -5867 | |
Herman Michael Albert Filed | Herman Michael Albert | Grant / award | +4.0K | |
Fitch Laurie Lee Filed | Fitch Laurie Lee | Grant / award | +4.0K |
More metrics — Moat, Per Share, Balance Sheet, MarketHide additional metrics
Moat
25EROIC >12% Years0/10 yrsD
Grade D: WeakShare of completed fiscal years with ROIC > 12% — measures multi-year capital-return durability
Gross Margin (Med.)97.0%A
Grade A: DurableMedian annual gross margin across available fiscal years — pricing-power durability
FCF-Positive Years2/10 yrsD
Grade D: WeakShare of completed fiscal years with positive free cash flow
Net Margin Floor-10.4%D
Grade D: WeakWeakest annual net margin across completed fiscal years — recession/downcycle resilience
Per Share
EPS (TTM)$1.70
Own TTM net income / shares — same earnings basis as P/E
Cash / Share$0.69
Cash & short-term investments per share (Finnhub)
Book Value / Share$17.79
Shareholders' equity per share (Finnhub). Negative = accumulated losses / heavy buybacks
Balance Sheet
Total Debt$24.64B
Total debt obligations (short + long term)
Cash & Equiv.$49.00M
Cash and short-term investments
Net Debt$24.59B
Total Debt minus Cash. Negative = Net Cash position
Total Equity$11.72B
Shareholders' equity (book value)
Asset / Liability1.32xC
Grade C: AdequateTotal Assets / Total Liabilities
Market
Market Cap$26.71B
Current Market Capitalization
Beta0.45B
Grade B: DefensivePrice sensitivity vs the market (Finnhub) — 1.0 moves with market, >1.2 amplifies swings
How grades work: each metric is graded A–D against fixed thresholds (tap a row for the meaning). Card grades map the pillar score to A+–E — a card grade is that pillar's own score, not an average of the rows shown.
Financials as of Jun 2026 · Ratio snapshot Oct 17, 2026
Key Insights: CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (CNP)
CNP is up 1.88% at the last close. Piotroski F-Score of 6/9 indicates mixed fundamentals for CenterPoint Energy, Inc.. Altman Z-Score of 0.72 is below the 1.81 distress threshold — an elevated financial-risk flag. Beneish M-Score of -2.40 suggests a low likelihood of earnings manipulation.
- Free-cash-flow margin is negative (-28%) — the business currently burns cash.
- Company has negative FCF, making debt repayment from operations difficult.
- CenterPoint Energy, Inc. posted a net loss in 1 of 10 available completed fiscal years (2016–2025).
- The stock currently yields 2.2% in dividends.
See how CNP ranks on the Capex Tracker — top 50 capital spenders compared.
Recent Market Moves
See all CNP moves →| Date | Session | Price | Move | Z-Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 6 | Regular | 38.42 | +1.76% | 2.15 |
| Oct 6 | After-hours | 38.56 | +2.15% | 2.54 |
| Oct 2 | After-hours | 37.79 | +1.56% | 2.08 |
| Sep 29 | Pre-market | 37.22 | +1.64% | 2.28 |
| Sep 24 | After-hours | 38.02 | +2.30% | 2.80 |
Frequently Asked Questions about CNP
What is the current CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (CNP) stock price?
CNP is trading at $40.55 at the last market close, up 1.88% on the session. PreMarketPrice tracks CNP pre-market, intraday and after-hours prices.
Is CNP stock a buy right now?
PreMarketPrice's quantitative model rates CenterPoint Energy, Inc.'s financial health at 25/100. This is a data-driven snapshot of fundamentals, not investment advice.
Is CNP stock overvalued?
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. trades at a trailing P/E of 23.9 and our valuation score rates it 37/100 (higher = cheaper vs. its own history). See the Valuation History and Key Metrics sections for forward P/E, EV/EBITDA and PEG context.
When does CenterPoint Energy, Inc. report earnings?
No confirmed earnings date is currently scheduled for CNP. The Earnings section lists recent reports and updates as dates are announced.
What sector does CenterPoint Energy, Inc. operate in?
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. operates in the Utilities sector, within the Electric Services industry. The Related Stocks section lists sector peers for comparison.
What does CenterPoint Energy, Inc. do?
CenterPoint Energy owns a portfolio of businesses.
About CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (CNP) Stock
CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (CNP) is a US-listed stock operating in the Utilities sector, specifically the Electric Services industry. As of the latest update, CenterPoint Energy, Inc. is trading at $40.55, up 1.88% on the day with a market capitalization of $26.7 billion. The financial health score for CNP is 25/100, which indicates poor financial strength based on profitability, leverage, liquidity, and growth metrics. This page provides real-time pre-market pricing, earnings calendar, financial health analysis, and valuation metrics for CNP stock.
CNP Stock Analysis & Key Metrics
On PreMarketPrice, you can track CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (CNP) across multiple dimensions:
- Pre-market price & movement: Real-time CNP stock price with percentage change, updated continuously during pre-market and regular trading hours.
- Valuation & P/E history: Historical P/E, P/S, and P/B ratios for CNP with trend analysis and normalized valuation multiples.
- Financial statements: Revenue, net income, assets, liabilities, and equity for CenterPoint Energy, Inc. across multiple reporting periods.
- Financial health score: A composite score of 25/100 based on Altman Z-Score, Piotroski F-Score, profitability, and leverage metrics for CNP.
- Sector peers: Compare CNP against 6 other utilities stocks on key financial metrics.
Is CNP a Good Stock to Buy?
This page provides data-driven analysis to help you evaluate CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (CNP) as an investment. The financial health score of 25/100 suggests poor financial fundamentals. Valuation metrics show whether the stock is trading above or below its historical average.However, this is not financial advice — always do your own research before investing.
Data on this page is sourced from real-time market feeds, Polygon.io, and Finnhub.CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (CNP) trades on NYSE/NASDAQ. Pre-market trading occurs 4:00 AM – 9:30 AM ET. Regular market hours are 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM ET.