UBS Analyst Recommends Buying Centerpoint Energy Despite Negative Analyst Consensus.

UBS analyst William Appicelli maintains a Buy rating on Centerpoint Energy with a price target of $42.00. The current analyst consensus is a Hold with an average price target of $38.82. The company has a one-year high of $39.31 and a one-year low of $25.41, with a current average volume of 5.31M. Corporate insider sentiment is positive, with 44 insiders buying shares over the past quarter.

Title: CenterPoint Energy: Analysts Weigh In on Q2 Earnings and Stock Outlook

CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (CNP), a leading energy delivery company headquartered in Houston, Texas, is set to release its fiscal second-quarter earnings for 2025 before the market opens on Thursday, Jul. 24. The company, valued at $23.7 billion by market cap, engages in electricity transmission and distribution, natural gas distribution, interstate pipeline and gathering operations, and power generation.

Analysts expect CNP to report a profit of $0.44 per share on a diluted basis, up 22.2% from $0.36 per share in the year-ago quarter [1]. The company's earnings have shown mixed performance, beating or matching consensus estimates in two of the last four quarters while missing the forecast on two other occasions. For the full year, analysts expect CNP to report EPS of $1.75, up 8% from $1.62 in fiscal 2024. Its EPS is expected to rise 7.4% year over year to $1.88 in fiscal 2026 [1].

CNP's stock has outperformed the S&P 500 Index's 11.7% gains over the past 52 weeks, with shares up 18.1% during this period. However, it slightly underperformed the Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund’s (XLU) 18.3% gains over the same time frame [1]. The company's strong performance was boosted by favorable weather conditions and higher energy consumption. Additionally, positive sentiment was reinforced by anticipated investments in electric transmission infrastructure, particularly following the approval by PUCT of the 765-kV standard.

On Apr. 24, CNP shares closed up by 1.5% after reporting its Q1 results. Its adjusted EPS of $0.53 fell short of Wall Street expectations of $0.55. CNP expects full-year adjusted EPS in the range of $1.74 to $1.76 [1].

Analysts’ consensus opinion on CNP stock is reasonably bullish, with a “Moderate Buy” rating overall. Out of 18 analysts covering the stock, seven advise a “Strong Buy” rating, and 11 give a “Hold.” CNP’s average analyst price target is $38.87, indicating a potential upside of 8.6% from the current levels [1].

UBS analyst William Appicelli maintains a Buy rating on CenterPoint Energy with a price target of $42.00, while the current analyst consensus is a Hold with an average price target of $38.82 [2]. The company has a one-year high of $39.31 and a one-year low of $25.41, with a current average volume of 5.31M. Corporate insider sentiment is positive, with 44 insiders buying shares over the past quarter [3].

References:
[1] https://www.barchart.com/story/news/33294058/centerpoint-energy-s-q2-2025-earnings-what-to-expect
[2] https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/CENTERPOINT-ENERGY-INC-12964/news/UBS-Raises-Price-Target-on-CenterPoint-Energy-to-42-From-41-Maintains-Buy-Rating-50491726/
[3] https://www.marketbeat.com/instant-alerts/filing-concurrent-investment-advisors-llc-makes-new-416000-investment-in-centerpoint-energy-inc-nysecnp-2025-07-11/