QRG Capital Management Inc. Sells 1,019 Shares of CMS Energy Co. (NYSE:CMS)

QRG Capital Management Inc. cut its position in CMS Energy Co. (NYSE:CMS) by 8.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 11,024 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,019 shares during the quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in CMS Energy were worth $735,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CMS. BankPlus Trust Department acquired a new stake in shares of CMS Energy during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Richardson Financial Services Inc. increased its position in CMS Energy by 106.8% during the fourth quarter. Richardson Financial Services Inc. now owns 455 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 235 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in CMS Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 472 shares in the last quarter. 93.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other CMS Energy news, SVP Brandon J. Hofmeister sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.22, for a total value of $134,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 63,197 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,248,102.34. This represents a 3.07 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Laura Wright sold 2,500 shares of CMS Energy stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.84, for a total transaction of $174,600.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 38,790 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,709,093.60. This trade represents a 6.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 39,950 shares of company stock valued at $2,669,620. 0.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

CMS Energy Trading Down 1.6 %

CMS opened at $72.90 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $68.13 and its 200-day moving average is $68.63. The company has a market cap of $21.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.96, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.42. CMS Energy Co. has a 1-year low of $56.61 and a 1-year high of $75.06. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80.

CMS Energy (NYSE:CMS) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.86 by $0.01. CMS Energy had a net margin of 13.35% and a return on equity of 12.02%. Equities research analysts predict that CMS Energy Co. will post 3.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

CMS Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Monday, February 17th were given a $0.5425 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This is an increase from CMS Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. This represents a $2.17 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.98%. CMS Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 65.36%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

CMS has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Barclays upgraded shares of CMS Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $68.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $69.00 price objective on shares of CMS Energy in a report on Friday, February 7th. StockNews.com raised CMS Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 5th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on CMS Energy from $69.00 to $67.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 22nd. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price objective on shares of CMS Energy from $75.00 to $77.00 and gave the stock a “sector outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $72.42.

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.