Centrica plc (OTCMKTS:CPYYY) Short Interest Up 94.1% in July

Centrica plc (OTCMKTS:CPYYY) saw a large increase in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,600 shares, an increase of 94.1% from the June 30th total of 3,400 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 10,900 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 0.6 days.

Centrica Price Performance

OTCMKTS:CPYYY traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $6.76. 6,668 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,349. Centrica has a 52-week low of $6.19 and a 52-week high of $8.61. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $7.11 and its 200 day moving average price is $6.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 1.44 and a quick ratio of 1.35.

Centrica Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 31st were paid a dividend of $0.1189 per share. This is a positive change from Centrica’s previous dividend of $0.06. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 31st.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on CPYYY. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Centrica to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Berenberg Bank raised Centrica from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 1st. Finally, UBS Group raised Centrica to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $176.67.

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.