Sigma Planning Corp Sells 1,830 Shares of CMS Energy Co. (NYSE:CMS)

Sigma Planning Corp reduced its holdings in shares of CMS Energy Co. (NYSE:CMS) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 31,903 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,830 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in CMS Energy were worth $2,126,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. raised its position in shares of CMS Energy by 25.7% in the 3rd quarter. Voisard Asset Management Group Inc. now owns 798 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in CMS Energy by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,459 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $297,000 after purchasing an additional 173 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in CMS Energy by 5.4% in the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 3,625 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 187 shares in the last quarter. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in CMS Energy by 1.3% in the third quarter. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC now owns 15,675 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,107,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Private Trust Co. NA raised its stake in shares of CMS Energy by 25.6% during the 3rd quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 982 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. 93.57% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CMS Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:CMS opened at $71.49 on Monday. CMS Energy Co. has a twelve month low of $56.31 and a twelve month high of $72.40. The company’s 50 day moving average is $67.22 and its 200 day moving average is $68.28. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.80. The company has a market cap of $21.36 billion, a PE ratio of 21.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.42.

CMS Energy (NYSE:CMS) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that CMS Energy Co. will post 3.59 EPS for the current year.

CMS Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Investors of record on Monday, February 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.5425 per share. This represents a $2.17 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.04%. This is a positive change from CMS Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.52. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. CMS Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.36%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director John G. Russell sold 28,750 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.85, for a total transaction of $1,893,187.50. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 144,059 shares in the company, valued at $9,486,285.15. This trade represents a 16.64 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Laura Wright sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.84, for a total value of $174,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 38,790 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,709,093.60. The trade was a 6.05 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 39,950 shares of company stock valued at $2,669,620 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on CMS shares. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of CMS Energy from $77.00 to $76.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on CMS Energy in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. They set a “buy” rating and a $76.00 price target on the stock. Barclays raised CMS Energy from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $68.00 to $75.00 in a research report on Thursday. StockNews.com raised CMS Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 5th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating and set a $69.00 price objective on shares of CMS Energy in a report on Friday, February 7th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $71.69.

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.