CenterPoint Energy raises 2026 earnings forecast and lifts capital plan to $70.7 billion

Its first range for 2027 is $2.07-$2.09 per share, set alongside the higher 2026 range.

CenterPoint Energy reported third-quarter adjusted earnings of $0.53 per share, $0.03 above expectations. It raised its 2026 adjusted earnings range to $1.90-$1.92 per share.

The company raised its 10-year capital investment plan by $4.0 billion to $70.7 billion. It also brought $1.5 billion of investment forward into 2026-2030. It now expects earnings growth at the middle-to-high end of its 7 to 9 per cent annual range through 2030.

Jason Wells, chair, president and CEO, said accelerating growth in Greater Houston is expected to drive about $5 billion in savings for Texas customers over the next decade, while supporting additional investment opportunities.

The larger plan builds on the sale of the company's non-core Ohio gas business. On October 1, only $1.42 billion of the $2.62 billion in sale proceeds had arrived as cash at closing. The higher plan points to that cash going into the core electric and gas businesses in Texas and Indiana rather than sitting idle. Raising the plan and the 2026 range while adding a 2027 range suggests management can fund faster growth without diluting the 7 to 9 per cent earnings path. That path had been an open question while only part of the proceeds had arrived as cash. The $5 billion savings claim also gives regulators a specific reason to accept the faster spending. That matters for rate cases, the reviews in which regulators set what customers pay, over the next several years.