Is the business good?
How good a business is CNP?
CenterPoint Energy earns 5.1% on the capital it employs against a 9.0% cost of capital, so growth costs more than it returns.
5.1%
Return on invested capital · cost of capital 9.0% · 3.9 points below what the capital costs: growth destroys value
- Operating margin
- 23%
Operating margin · Utilities - Regulated Electric median 22% · 12 months to Q1 2026
- Share count, year on year
- +0.93%
Share count, year on year · flat: no meaningful dilution
- Gross margin
- 100%
Gross margin
| Year | Operating margin |
|---|---|
| FY2020 | 14% |
| FY2021 | 16% |
| FY2022 | 17% |
| FY2023 | 20% |
| FY2024 | 23% |
| FY2025 | 23% |
Details›
- Gross margin12 months to Q1 2026
- 100%
- Operating margin12 months to Q1 2026
- 23%
- Net margin12 months to Q1 2026
- 11%
- Free cash flow margin
- −28%
- Revenue, trailing twelve months
- $9.41B
- Free cash flow, trailing twelve months
- −$2.67B
- Net income, trailing twelve months
- $1.07B
- Return on invested capitaloperating profit after tax ÷ debt + equity − cash
- 5.1%
Margins, capital and share counts from the statements as filed with the SEC; cash conversion from the cash flow statement.
Utilities - Regulated Electric
Ranks #34 of 37 by Smart Score