CMS Energy Co. (NYSE:CMS) Director Laura Wright Sells 2,500 Shares

CMS Energy Co. (NYSE:CMS) Director Laura Wright sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.84, for a total transaction of $174,600.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 38,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,709,093.60. This represents a 6.05 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

CMS Energy Stock Performance

Shares of CMS stock opened at $71.49 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $67.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a current ratio of 0.79. CMS Energy Co. has a one year low of $56.31 and a one year high of $72.40. The firm has a market cap of $21.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 0.42.

CMS Energy (NYSE:CMS) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 13.35% and a return on equity of 12.02%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that CMS Energy Co. will post 3.59 EPS for the current year.

CMS Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.5425 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. 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 3.04%. CMS Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 65.36%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on CMS. Barclays raised shares of CMS Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $68.00 to $75.00 in a research note on Thursday. Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $69.00 price target on shares of CMS Energy in a research note on Friday, February 7th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of CMS Energy from $77.00 to $76.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of CMS Energy in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $76.00 price target for the company. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of CMS Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 5th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $71.69.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On CMS Energy

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new stake in CMS Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in CMS Energy by 171.9% during 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 in the last quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. lifted 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 worth $30,000 after buying an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new stake in CMS Energy during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in CMS Energy by 206.1% during the 3rd quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 701 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 472 shares in the last quarter. 93.57% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.