CenterPoint Energy beats first-quarter profit estimates

April 30 (Reuters) - CenterPoint Energy beat Wall Street estimates for first-quarter profit on Tuesday, helped by base rate hikes for its Minnesota gas business and favorable weather which helped the performance of its electricity transmission unit.

CenterPoint's service territories experienced a cold snap at the start of the year, which helped boost customer demand for electricity.

In its electric unit, the company saw higher usage with metered customers rising 2% from last year, while total throughput supplied increased 6%.

Additionally, Minnesota regulators approved the company's rate increase request in December, which resulted in rise in customers bills starting January.

CenterPoint delivers natural gas to about 4 million homes and businesses in six states - Indiana, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Ohio and Texas.

Houston Electric, CenterPoint's subsidiary, also filed for its Texas System Resiliency Plan which could provide up to $500 million in incremental capital investment.

"I am excited about the opportunity to further collaborate with various stakeholders on the first of its kind System Resiliency Plan in Texas for a range of investments of $2.2 billion to $2.7 billion over the next three years," CEO Jason Wells said.

The Houston, Texas-based firm posted an adjusted profit of 55 cents per share for the three-month period ended March 31, above the analysts' average estimate of 53 cents per share, according to LSEG data. CenterPoint reaffirmed its full-year adjusted profit outlook of between $1.61 and $1.63 per share and maintained its adjusted profit growth target through 2030 of 6%-8% annually. (Reporting by Kabir Dweit in Bengaluru; Editing by Shilpi Majumdar and Shailesh Kuber)