CMS Energy Co. (NYSE:CMS) Shares Sold by Sterling Capital Management LLC

Sterling Capital Management LLC cut its stake in shares of CMS Energy Co. (NYSE:CMS - Free Report) by 34.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 101,823 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 52,782 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC's holdings in CMS Energy were worth $6,787,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in CMS Energy by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,459 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $297,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares during the period. Mather Group LLC. grew its stake in shares of CMS Energy by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 3,996 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $266,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in shares of CMS Energy by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,752 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $317,000 after buying an additional 220 shares during the last quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC grew its position in CMS Energy by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Consulting LLC now owns 4,327 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $288,000 after acquiring an additional 225 shares during the period. Finally, Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in CMS Energy by 106.8% during the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the last quarter. 93.57% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Insider Activity at CMS Energy

In other news, CAO Scott B. Mcintosh sold 6,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.76, for a total transaction of $467,392.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 21,643 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,509,815.68. This represents a 23.64 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Brandon J. Hofmeister sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.77, for a total transaction of $147,540.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 71,931 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,306,349.87. This trade represents a 2.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 11,200 shares of company stock valued at $789,532 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CMS has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of CMS Energy from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Bank of America raised their price objective on CMS Energy from $73.00 to $80.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 24th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on CMS Energy from $80.00 to $77.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $69.00 price target on shares of CMS Energy in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of CMS Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $75.09.

CMS Energy Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of CMS traded down $0.78 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $72.75. The company had a trading volume of 2,679,659 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,273,254. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. CMS Energy Co. has a 52 week low of $56.61 and a 52 week high of $76.45. The company's 50 day moving average price is $72.04 and its 200 day moving average price is $69.51. The stock has a market cap of $21.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.91, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.34.

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 analysts' consensus estimates 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, equities research analysts predict that CMS Energy Co. will post 3.59 EPS for the current year.

CMS Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 9th will be issued a $0.5425 dividend. This represents a $2.17 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 9th. CMS Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.36%.

CMS Energy Profile

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.