On Friday, BMO Capital Markets adjusted its price target on shares of CMS Energy (NYSE: NYSE:CMS), reducing it to $76 from the previous $77 while retaining an Outperform rating on the stock. The move follows the company's third-quarter earnings report, where CMS Energy posted earnings per share (EPS) of $0.84, surpassing both BMO's and the consensus estimates of $0.78 and $0.77, respectively.
Despite the earnings beat, CMS Energy's stock did not perform as well as its industry peers, experiencing an approximate 2% underperformance in Friday's trading session. This reaction was attributed to the company's initial guidance for 2025, which was set at $3.52 to $3.58 per share, lower than BMO's and consensus expectations of $3.60 and $3.58 per share.
BMO's analyst noted that while the initial 2025 guidance was below expectations, it still fell within their anticipated range of $3.52 to $3.59 that was outlined prior to the earnings release. Additionally, CMS Energy's management confirmed that they would adjust the 2025 guidance based on the actual results of 2024, with the revision expected to be announced along with fourth-quarter 2024 results.
The affirmation of the company's 2024 outlook, which anticipates an EPS in the range of $3.29 to $3.35 at the higher end, was also highlighted as a positive sign. BMO's revised price target reflects a mark-to-market sum-of-the-parts (MTM SOTP) valuation approach. Despite the slight decrease in the price target, BMO maintains a positive outlook on CMS Energy's stock performance.
In other recent news, CMS Energy reported a solid financial performance for the third quarter of 2024, with adjusted earnings per share (EPS) climbing to $2.47, up $0.41 from the previous year. The company confirmed its EPS guidance for 2024 to be between $3.29 and $3.35 and introduced its 2025 guidance, projecting an EPS of $3.52 to $3.58, indicating a growth of 6% to 8%. This increase was largely attributed to positive outcomes in electric and gas rate cases.
The company's CEO highlighted Michigan's clean energy law and a $7 billion reliability roadmap as key differentiators. CMS Energy plans to file a 20-year renewable energy plan to align with state clean energy targets. Despite a 10% increase in outages, restoration costs per interruption dropped by over 10%.
However, rising costs in insurance and IT are expected to result in a $0.15 per share negative variance. Despite these challenges, CMS Energy maintains a positive outlook supported by strong capacity and energy market results. The company's solid credit ratings were reaffirmed by S&P in August.
InvestingPro Insights
To complement BMO Capital Markets' analysis, InvestingPro data provides additional context for CMS Energy's financial position. The company's P/E ratio stands at 20.1, with an adjusted P/E ratio of 24.89 for the last twelve months as of Q2 2024. This valuation is particularly interesting when considering one of the InvestingPro Tips: CMS Energy is trading at a low P/E ratio relative to its near-term earnings growth, suggesting potential undervaluation.
Another notable InvestingPro Tip highlights that CMS Energy has raised its dividend for 18 consecutive years, demonstrating a strong commitment to shareholder returns. This is further supported by the current dividend yield of 2.96% and a dividend growth rate of 5.64% over the last twelve months.
Despite BMO's slight reduction in the price target, CMS Energy's stock appears to be trading close to its 52-week high, with the current price at 96.15% of that peak. This resilience aligns with another InvestingPro Tip indicating that the stock generally trades with low price volatility, which may appeal to investors seeking stability.
For readers interested in a more comprehensive analysis, InvestingPro offers 7 additional tips for CMS Energy, providing a deeper understanding of the company's financial health and market position.
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