Earnings Per Share (CenterPoint Energy) (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2018

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Schedule of Earnings Per Share, Basic and Diluted [Table Text Block]

The following table reconciles numerators and denominators of CenterPoint Energy’s basic and diluted earnings per share calculations:

	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2018		2017		2018		2017
	(in millions, except share and per share amounts)
Income available to common shareholders	$	153	$	169	$	243	$	496
Basic weighted average common shares outstanding	431,554,000		431,026,000		431,437,000		430,939,000
Plus: Incremental shares from assumed conversions:
Restricted stock	3,337,000		3,060,000		3,337,000		3,060,000
Diluted weighted average common shares	434,891,000		434,086,000		434,774,000		433,999,000
Basic earnings per common share	$	0.35	$	0.39	$	0.56	$	1.15
Diluted earnings per common share	$	0.35	$	0.39	$	0.56	$	1.14