Operating Margin - CenterPoint Energy Inc (NYSE:CNP)

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Price: 38.31 USD 0.68%

Market Cap: 25B USD

22.5%

Current

20%

Average

13.8%

Industry

Operating Margin represents how efficiently a company is able to generate profit through its core operations.

Higher ratios are generally better, illustrating the company is efficient in its operations and is good at turning sales into profits.

Operating Margin

22.5%

Operating Profit

2.1B

Revenue

9.1B

Operating Margin Across Competitors

Country		Company	Market Cap	Operating Margin
US		CenterPoint Energy Inc NYSE:CNP	25B USD	23%
UK		National Grid PLC LSE:NG	56.8B GBP	30%
FR		Engie SA PAR:ENGI	53.4B EUR	14%
US		Sempra Energy NYSE:SRE	56.6B USD	23%
US		Dominion Energy Inc NYSE:D	51.3B USD	29%
US	S	Sempra VSE:SREN	43.4B EUR	23%
DE		E.ON SE XETRA:EOAN	41.2B EUR	7%
US		Public Service Enterprise Group Inc NYSE:PEG	39.9B USD	25%
DE		RWE AG XETRA:RWE	31.8B EUR	10%
DE		E ON SE MIL:EOAN	31.3B EUR	2%
US		Consolidated Edison Inc NYSE:ED	36.2B USD	18%

CenterPoint Energy Inc
Glance View

Economic Moat

None

Market Cap

25B USD

Industry

Utilities

CenterPoint Energy Inc., based in Houston, Texas, is a prominent player in the utility industry, specializing primarily in electric transmission and distribution, as well as natural gas distribution. Rooted in over a century of service, CenterPoint's journey began as a regional player but has evolved into a multi-state operation. Its core business involves delivering electricity and natural gas to millions of customers across Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas. The company's strength lies in its ability to adapt and grow while maintaining the reliability and safety of its services. By investing in modernizing infrastructure, adopting new technologies, and focusing on sustainability and efficiency, CenterPoint is not just keeping businesses and homes linked to essential services, but it’s also building a roadmap for the future. The utility giant derives most of its revenues from regulated utility operations, ensuring stable and predictable cash flows. Its electric transmission and distribution unit generates income by charging fees to residential and business customers for the transportation of electricity. Meanwhile, the natural gas segment earns money by distributing and selling natural gas, with tariffs regulated by state commissions to ensure reasonable pricing for consumers and fair returns for the company. Additionally, CenterPoint Energy is involved in investing in renewable energy projects, aiming to diversify its energy mix and meet increasing consumer demand for clean energy options. By embedding its operations deeply into the framework of energy reliability and efficiency, CenterPoint not only fuels local economies but also underpins its strategy with sustainability—a crucial narrative in today’s energy landscape.

View CNP Analysis

CNP Intrinsic Value

What is Intrinsic Value?

Economic Moat is a concept popularized by Warren Buffett to describe a company's durable competitive advantage. It represents the 'moat' that protects a company from competitors and helps it sustain profitability over the long term. Our analysis of the past 10 years showed that companies with a wide economic moat significantly outperformed the market, delivering +645% returns compared to +189% for the S&P 500.

Our research into Economic Moat performance spans the past 10 years and focuses on companies with a wide economic moat. For this analysis, we calculated the average stock price returns of these companies, comparing them to the performance of the S&P 500 index over the same period.

The results were compelling: wide moat stocks achieved a remarkable +645% average return, compared to +188% for the broader market. This difference highlights the long-term benefits of investing in businesses that can maintain their market position and pricing power over time.

Note: This research does not account for survivorship bias. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

Determining whether a company has an economic moat requires both a deep dive into financial metrics and a qualitative assessment of its competitive position. Our analysts conduct a rigorous evaluation that focuses on identifying structural advantages that enable a company to sustain profitability and defend its market share over the long term.

The process begins with an analysis of a company’s historical financial performance. We assess how consistently the company has generated returns above its cost of capital and whether those returns have been stable or improving. However, financial performance alone doesn’t reveal the full picture. To understand the sources of these advantages, we evaluate five key drivers of economic moats:

Network Effect: We analyze whether the value of a company’s product or service grows as its user base expands. Platforms like payment systems or marketplaces benefit from this self-reinforcing.

Switching Costs: We assess whether customers face significant costs or disruptions when switching to a competitor’s product or service. High switching costs create customer stickiness and provide pricing power.

Intangible Assets: Strong brands, patents, and regulatory licenses can protect a company’s market position by creating barriers for competitors or enabling premium pricing. For example, a well-recognized consumer brand may command higher customer loyalty and margins.

Efficient scale: Occurs when a market is optimally served by one or a few players, making it unprofitable for new entrants to compete. This typically happens in industries with high fixed costs or geographic constraints, such as utilities or pipelines.

Cost Advantage: Companies with structural cost advantages can produce goods or services at a lower cost than their competitors, enabling them to offer competitive pricing or maintain higher margins. These advantages often arise from economies of scale, superior supply chain management, or proprietary technology. Firms like Walmart leverage their massive scale to negotiate better terms with suppliers, allowing them to undercut competitors on price.

By examining these factors in combination with a company’s financial performance and market positioning, we classify each company into one of three categories:

This rigorous evaluation ensures that our moat ratings are both comprehensive and reliable, giving investors the tools they need to make well-informed, long-term decisions.

The AI Assistant may sometimes provide inaccurate information.

Make your own investment decisions or consult a licensed financial advisor.

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CenterPoint Energy Inc
NYSE:CNP