Centrica plc (LON:CNA) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Centrica plc (LON:CNA) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the five research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and four have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is GBX 156.25 ($1.96).

A number of research analysts have issued reports on CNA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Centrica in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. UBS Group raised Centrica to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from GBX 165 ($2.07) to GBX 170 ($2.14) in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Centrica in a research report on Friday, February 16th.

Insider Transactions at Centrica

In other news, insider Philippe Boisseau bought 1,428 shares of Centrica stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 131 ($1.65) per share, for a total transaction of £1,870.68 ($2,350.10). In other news, insider Philippe Boisseau bought 1,428 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were purchased at an average price of GBX 131 ($1.65) per share, for a total transaction of £1,870.68 ($2,350.10). Also, insider Amber Rudd purchased 1,720 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 25th. The stock was acquired at an average price of GBX 127 ($1.60) per share, with a total value of £2,184.40 ($2,744.22). Insiders purchased a total of 5,202 shares of company stock valued at $667,723 over the last three months. 0.14% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Centrica Price Performance

Shares of CNA traded up GBX 2.90 ($0.04) during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching GBX 134.05 ($1.68). The company had a trading volume of 19,484,303 shares, compared to its average volume of 30,617,424. The company has a current ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 96.93. Centrica has a 12-month low of GBX 112.25 ($1.41) and a 12-month high of GBX 173.70 ($2.18). The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of GBX 128.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 139.15. The company has a market capitalization of £7.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 194.28, a PEG ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.10.

Centrica Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 11th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 30th will be issued a dividend of GBX 2.67 ($0.03) per share. This represents a yield of 1.99%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 30th. This is a boost from Centrica’s previous dividend of $1.33. Centrica’s dividend payout ratio is 579.71%.

Centrica Company Profile

Centrica plc operates as an integrated energy company in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Scandinavia, North America, and internationally. The company operates through British Gas Services & Solutions, British Gas Energy, Centrica Business Solutions, Bord Gáis Energy, Centrica Energy, and Upstream segments.