CMS Energy (NYSE:CMS) Cut to “Sell” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of CMS Energy (NYSE:CMS) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note published on Wednesday.

Several other research firms have also issued reports on CMS. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on CMS Energy from $73.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 30th. Evercore ISI raised CMS Energy to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of CMS Energy from $63.00 to $68.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of CMS Energy from $66.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of CMS Energy from $70.00 to $77.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, CMS Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $70.21.

CMS Energy Stock Up 0.4 %

CMS stock opened at $69.52 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $65.48. CMS Energy has a twelve month low of $55.10 and a twelve month high of $72.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $20.77 billion, a PE ratio of 19.86, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.86.

CMS Energy (NYSE:CMS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The utilities provider reported $0.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.78 by $0.06. CMS Energy had a net margin of 14.01% and a return on equity of 12.81%. The business had revenue of $1.74 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.88 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.61 EPS. CMS Energy’s revenue was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that CMS Energy will post 3.33 EPS for the current fiscal year.

CMS Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.515 per share. This represents a $2.06 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.96%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This is a positive change from CMS Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.51. CMS Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 58.86%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CMS Energy news, SVP Brandon J. Hofmeister sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.17, for a total value of $136,340.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 64,771 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,415,439.07. This trade represents a 3.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of CMS Energy

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in CMS Energy by 171.9% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 435 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 275 shares during the period. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new position in shares of CMS Energy during the third quarter valued at approximately $40,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in CMS Energy by 431.3% in the second quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 712 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 578 shares during the period. Innealta Capital LLC bought a new stake in CMS Energy in the second quarter valued at $43,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its position in CMS Energy by 206.1% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 701 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 472 shares during the period. 93.57% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.