CenterPoint Energy management check
CNP · Utilities · Multi-Utilities · CEO Jason Wells
Filings as of
3 good · 2 to watch · 1 flagged, across the seven questions below.
- Good
Have owners done well?
Beat its chosen peers$100 invested at the start of fiscal 2021 grew to $202, against $130 for the peer group the company picked itself.
- Flag
Does pay follow performance?
Pay moved against returnsOver 5 years, the CEO's pay actually paid (equity valued at the share price) had a correlation of -0.52 with shareholder return. 1 means pay moved in step; below 0, the opposite way.
- Watch
What does the CEO cost owners?
1.1% of net income$12.1m of reported pay in fiscal 2025, against $1.1bn of net income.
- n/a
Do they own the stock?
No recent CEO filingLight activity: $41k bought, no sales in six months.
- Watch
Are owners being diluted?
Share count growingDiluted shares changed +1.8% a year over the last three fiscal years.
- Good
Is leadership stable?
7 leadership filings in 3 yearsCEO in the pay table: Jason Wells. 7 filings under 8-K item 5.02 (officers or directors leaving or joining, or new pay arrangements) in the last 3 years.
- Good
Are the books clean?
No red flags on fileNo restatements, auditor changes or late filings since 2021.
Against the S&P 500
Each check's score (0–100) and how it compares: the share of ranked S&P 500 companies it matches or beats, and the median in Utilities.
| Check | Score | At or above | Sector median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner returns | 100 | 53 | |
| Pay for performance | 24 | 81 | |
| CEO cost | 45 | 50 | |
| Skin in the game | — | — | 45 |
| Dilution | 28 | 37 | |
| Stable leadership | 90 | 80 | |
| Clean books | 100 | 100 |
Closest peers
Others in Multi-Utilities, by management score. CenterPoint Energy is 12th of 30 in its sector.
- 146NEENextEra Energy72
- 210CMSCMS Energy68
- 226AEEAmeren66
- 227SRESempra66
- 242NINiSource65
- 244CNPCenterPoint Energy65
- 245XELXcel Energy64
- 330DDominion Energy59
- 337PNWPinnacle West Capital59
- 361EDConsolidated Edison57
Pay versus performance
From the proxy statement filed March 4, 2026. "Actually paid" values stock awards at the share price, so it rises and falls with the stock.
| Fiscal year | CEO | CEO pay | Actually paid | Other executives (avg) | $100 became | Peers | Net income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Jason Wells | $12.1m | $24.6m | $5.0m | $202 | $130 | $1.1bn |
| 2024 | — | $9.3m | $12.7m | $2.7m | $163 | $115 | $1.0bn |
| 2023 | — | $16.2m | $24.9m | $4.3m | $143 | $98 | $867.0m |
| 2022 | — | $13.9m | $29.6m | $2.6m | $146 | $112 | $1.0bn |
| 2021 | — | $37.8m | $53.0m | $8.3m | $132 | $115 | $1.4bn |
The board says pay is tied most to Adjusted EPS. Its other key measures: Cumulative total shareholder return (TSR), Net income.
Insiders and the CEO's stake
Light activity: $41k bought, no sales in six months.
- BoughtLaurie Lee FitchDirector$41kAug 17, 2026
Leadership and governance on file
- Feb 23, 2026Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Jul 21, 2025Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Jan 7, 2025Leadership change8-K/A 5.02
- Dec 16, 2024Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Dec 3, 2024Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Dec 15, 2023Leadership change8-K/A 5.02
- Oct 26, 2023Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Oct 3, 2023Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Jul 26, 2023Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Mar 15, 2023Leadership change8-K 5.02
- Feb 21, 2023Leadership change8-K/A 5.02
- Jan 3, 2023Leadership change8-K 5.02
Latest shareholder vote results: Apr 17, 2026, including the say-on-pay vote.
Where the money went
Over 2021–2025: $2.4bn returned to owners in buybacks and dividends, 44% of net income, and $0 of pay in stock.
| Fiscal year | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $8.3bn | $9.3bn | $8.6bn | $8.6bn | $9.3bn |
| Net income | $1.5bn | $1.1bn | $917.0m | $1.0bn | $1.1bn |
| Stock-based pay | — | — | — | — | — |
| Buybacks | — | — | — | — | — |
| Dividends | $385.0m | $440.0m | $485.0m | $522.0m | $574.0m |
| Diluted shares | 610m | 632m | 633m | 644m | 656m |
Educational only, not investment advice. Figures are as filed with the SEC: pay from the proxy's pay-versus-performance table, capital allocation from 10-K XBRL data, insider trades from Form 4s over the last six months, events from the last 5 years of filings. The peer group is the one the company chose. See the method.