Is CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (CNP) A Good Stock To Buy?

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The elite funds run by legendary investors such as Dan Loeb and David Tepper make hundreds of millions of dollars for themselves and their investors by spending enormous resources doing research on small cap stocks that big investment banks don’t follow. Because of their pay structures, they have strong incentive to do the research necessary to beat the market. That’s why we pay close attention to what they think in small cap stocks. In this article, we take a closer look at CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP) from the perspective of those elite funds.

Is CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP) a bargain? Hedge funds are becoming less hopeful. The number of long hedge fund positions shrunk by 2 lately. At the end of this article we will also compare CNP to other stocks including Masco Corporation (NYSE:MAS), Whole Foods Market, Inc. (NASDAQ:WFM), and Ball Corporation (NYSE:BLL) to get a better sense of its popularity.

Follow Centerpoint Energy Inc (NYSE:CNP)

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How are hedge funds trading CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP)?

At the end of the third quarter, a total of 21 of the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey were bullish on this stock, a 9% dip from the previous quarter, pushing hedge fund ownership of the stock to a yearly low. With the smart money’s positions undergoing their usual ebb and flow, there exists a few noteworthy hedge fund managers who were increasing their stakes substantially (or already accumulated large positions).

HedgeFundSentimentChart

According to publicly available hedge fund and institutional investor holdings data compiled by Insider Monkey, Steadfast Capital Management, managed by Robert Pitts, holds the largest position in CenterPoint Energy, Inc. (NYSE:CNP). Steadfast Capital Management has a $160.4 million position in the stock, comprising 2.9% of its 13F portfolio. The second most bullish fund manager is Luminus Management, led by Jonathan Barrett and Paul Segal, holding a $106.4 million position; the fund has 2.7% of its 13F portfolio invested in the stock. Remaining members of the smart money that hold long positions comprise Cliff Asness’ AQR Capital Management, Israel Englander’s Millennium Management and Phill Gross and Robert Atchinson’s Adage Capital Management.

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