Does CENTERPOINT ENERGY INC have an economic moat?

Based on its FY2025 SEC filings, the Moat Index scores CENTERPOINT ENERGY INC (CNP) 34.3 out of 100 — below the Shallow-moat bar, so no moat. The four filters behind that score (each 0–100): pricing power 78, returns on capital 0, balance-sheet safety 1, capital discipline 54.

Is CNP stock trading below its intrinsic value?

Against a deliberately conservative owner-earnings model (9% discount rate, 0% assumed growth, capped at 4%), estimated intrinsic value is $17.90 per share versus a recent price of $43.13 — 141% above value. This is an educational estimate computed from primary SEC filings, not investment advice.

How has CNP's Moat Score changed over time?

The record logs 3 readings since Jul 17, 2026; the latest reads 34.3 out of 100 (no moat). No tier changes on record yet. The history is append-only — readings are only ever added, never rewritten.

The Moat Index

CENTERPOINT ENERGY INC

CNP · Utilities · $28.2B mkt cap · FY2025 filings · No moat ·

Doesn't clear the bar

No moat

The four filters

Pricing power78

Median gross margin 97.6% over 10y, variable.

Returns on capital0

Median ROIC 5.0%, above the 9% hurdle in 0% of years.

Balance-sheet safety1

Net debt/EBITDA 6.3x, interest coverage 2x.

Capital discipline54

Owner earnings +10.4%/yr, share count growing (dilution).

Margin of safety

Above valueOn sale

141% above value

Owner earnings (normalized): $1.1B
Est. intrinsic value / share: $17.90
Recent price: $43.13
Discount to value: 141% above value

Conservative model: 9% discount rate, 0% assumed growth (capped at 4%), maintenance capex ≈ min(capex, D&A).

20 years of fundamentals

The business, in plain English

CENTERPOINT ENERGY INC booked $9.3B of revenue in FY2025 in the Utilities sector and kept 100.0% of it as gross profit — a high-margin business by that measure. After every other cost, 11.3% of each revenue dollar reached the bottom line.

Across the filed record, revenue shrank from $9.6B (FY2007) to $9.3B (FY2025) — about −0.2% a year compounded over 18 years.

It earned 5.2% on invested capital in FY2025, with a median of 5.3% across 19 filed years. The Returns on Capital filter above scores it 0/100.

The balance sheet carried $23.0B of total debt in FY2025 against $1.1B of owner earnings — roughly 21.8 years of owner earnings to retire it all. Balance-Sheet Safety scores it 1/100.

The share count rose 51.7% between FY2015 and FY2025 — existing owners have been diluted over the record. Capital Discipline scores it 54/100.

Put together: Pricing Power is the strongest of the four filters (78/100) and Returns on Capital the weakest (0/100), which is how CNP lands at 34/100 — a None moat.

This breakdown is generated from the filed numbers and sub-scores above — no outside narrative, no estimates. Where a filing doesn’t disclose an input, the sentence that would need it is omitted instead of guessed.

RevenueSales, as filed$9.3B FY2025

Gross marginRevenue kept after cost of goods100.0% FY2025

Return on invested capitalOperating profit on the capital employed5.2% FY2025

Owner earningsCash an owner could take out$1.1B FY2025

Gaps in a line mean that item isn’t in CNP’s filings for that year — the series is never interpolated or estimated. The Table view lists every filed value, including operating and net margins, total debt, and share count.

Moat Score history

Moat Score over timeLast scored reading of each day, on the 0–100 scale34.3 / 100

Score history begins Jul 17, 2026 — the record builds from here and can’t be backfilled.

Tier changesSame-methodology crossings of the Wide / Narrow / Shallow bars

None yet — CNP has read No moat for every logged capture since Jul 17, 2026.

Scores are logged append-only and never overwritten — this record can’t be backfilled, which is exactly why it’s worth keeping.

Utilities context

#26 of 48 scored Utilities companies, ranked by Moat Score.

Nearest peers by Moat Score

#24NRG NRG Energy, Inc35.1 out of 100, No moatNo moat
#25CWST CASELLA WASTE SYSTEMS, INC.34.4 out of 100, No moatNo moat
#27TRGP TARGA RESOURCES CORP.33.3 out of 100, No moatNo moat
#28SR Spire Inc.33.1 out of 100, No moatNo moat

Compare CNP with its nearest peers →All Utilities companies on the Index →

Common questions about CNP

Does CENTERPOINT ENERGY INC have an economic moat?: Based on its FY2025 SEC filings, the Moat Index scores CENTERPOINT ENERGY INC (CNP) 34.3 out of 100 — below the Shallow-moat bar, so no moat. The four filters behind that score (each 0–100): pricing power 78, returns on capital 0, balance-sheet safety 1, capital discipline 54.
Is CNP stock trading below its intrinsic value?: Against a deliberately conservative owner-earnings model (9% discount rate, 0% assumed growth, capped at 4%), estimated intrinsic value is $17.90 per share versus a recent price of $43.13 — 141% above value. This is an educational estimate computed from primary SEC filings, not investment advice.
How has CNP's Moat Score changed over time?: The record logs 3 readings since Jul 17, 2026; the latest reads 34.3 out of 100 (no moat). No tier changes on record yet. The history is append-only — readings are only ever added, never rewritten.

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Scored from primary SEC filings via the public methodology. Educational only — not a recommendation to buy or sell CNP. See the disclaimer.