CenterPoint Energy (CNP) Competitors

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) and CenterPoint Energy (NYSE:CNP) are both large-cap utilities companies, but which is the better business? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their media sentiment, profitability, community ranking, analyst recommendations, dividends, earnings, risk, valuation and institutional ownership.

Does the MarketBeat Community prefer SRE or CNP?

Sempra received 26 more outperform votes than CenterPoint Energy when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 60.40% of users gave Sempra an outperform vote while only 55.01% of users gave CenterPoint Energy an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
Sempra	Outperform Votes 482 60.40%	Underperform Votes 316 39.60%
CenterPoint Energy	Outperform Votes 456 55.01%	Underperform Votes 373 44.99%

Do analysts rate SRE or CNP?

Sempra presently has a consensus target price of $89.00, suggesting a potential downside of 3.46%. CenterPoint Energy has a consensus target price of $30.09, suggesting a potential downside of 2.49%. Given CenterPoint Energy's higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe CenterPoint Energy is more favorable than Sempra.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Sempra	0 Sell rating(s)	1 Hold rating(s)	10 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.91
CenterPoint Energy	1 Sell rating(s)	9 Hold rating(s)	1 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.00

Does the media favor SRE or CNP?

In the previous week, Sempra had 8 more articles in the media than CenterPoint Energy. MarketBeat recorded 22 mentions for Sempra and 14 mentions for CenterPoint Energy. Sempra's average media sentiment score of 0.95 beat CenterPoint Energy's score of 0.85 indicating that Sempra is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Sempra	12 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	8 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
CenterPoint Energy	8 Very Positive mention(s)	3 Positive mention(s)	2 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is SRE or CNP more profitable?

Sempra has a net margin of 22.63% compared to CenterPoint Energy's net margin of 11.25%. CenterPoint Energy's return on equity of 9.73% beat Sempra's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Sempra	22.63%	8.06%	3.04%
CenterPoint Energy	11.25%	9.73%	2.41%

Is SRE or CNP a better dividend stock?

Sempra pays an annual dividend of $2.48 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.7%. CenterPoint Energy pays an annual dividend of $0.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.6%. Sempra pays out 54.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. CenterPoint Energy pays out 53.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Sempra has increased its dividend for 21 consecutive years. Sempra is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and longer track record of dividend growth.

Which has more risk and volatility, SRE or CNP?

Sempra has a beta of 0.75, meaning that its stock price is 25% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, CenterPoint Energy has a beta of 0.92, meaning that its stock price is 8% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Do insiders & institutionals hold more shares of SRE or CNP?

89.7% of Sempra shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 91.8% of CenterPoint Energy shares are held by institutional investors. 0.2% of Sempra shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.2% of CenterPoint Energy shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Which has stronger valuation & earnings, SRE or CNP?

Sempra has higher revenue and earnings than CenterPoint Energy. Sempra is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than CenterPoint Energy, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Sempra	$12.92B	4.52	$3.08B	$4.54	20.31
CenterPoint Energy	$8.70B	2.31	$917M	$1.51	20.44

Summary

Sempra beats CenterPoint Energy on 15 of the 21 factors compared between the two stocks.