Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd Sells 17,186 Shares of CMS Energy Co. (NYSE:CMS)

Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd reduced its holdings in shares of CMS Energy Co. (NYSE:CMS - Free Report) by 67.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,210 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 17,186 shares during the period. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd's holdings in CMS Energy were worth $547,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. BankPlus Trust Department purchased a new stake in CMS Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in CMS Energy by 106.8% during the 4th quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the period. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its position in CMS Energy by 2,900.0% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 720 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 696 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Bank Ltd. purchased a new position in CMS Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $61,000. Finally, Robbins Farley bought a new stake in CMS Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $62,000. 93.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

CMS Energy Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of CMS stock traded up $0.21 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $71.76. 3,467,120 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,268,111. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $71.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $69.49. CMS Energy Co. has a 12-month low of $56.61 and a 12-month high of $76.45. The stock has a market cap of $21.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.61, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.34.

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CMS Energy (NYSE:CMS - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.87 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.86 by $0.01. CMS Energy had a return on equity of 12.02% and a net margin of 13.35%. On average, analysts expect that CMS Energy Co. will post 3.59 EPS for the current year.

CMS Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were paid a dividend of $0.5425 per share. This is a positive change from CMS Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.17 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. CMS Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.36%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on CMS shares. StockNews.com upgraded shares of CMS Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Thursday. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $69.00 price objective on shares of CMS Energy in a research report on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of CMS Energy from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, March 24th. Bank of America upped their price target on CMS Energy from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 24th. Finally, Barclays upgraded CMS Energy from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the company from $68.00 to $75.00 in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $75.36.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Scott B. Mcintosh sold 6,700 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.76, for a total value of $467,392.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 21,643 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,509,815.68. This trade represents a 23.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Laura Wright sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.84, for a total value of $174,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 38,790 shares in the company, valued at $2,709,093.60. The trade was a 6.05 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 11,200 shares of company stock valued at $789,532. Insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

About CMS Energy

CMS Energy Corporation operates as an energy company primarily in Michigan. The company operates through three segments: Electric Utility; Gas Utility; and Enterprises. The Electric Utility segment is involved in the generation, purchase, transmission, distribution, and sale of electricity. This segment generates electricity through coal, wind, gas, renewable energy, oil, and nuclear sources.