Centrica plc (LON:CNA) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Key Points

• Centrica has an average analyst rating of “Moderate Buy”, with five buy ratings and one hold rating from six covering firms.
• The average 12-month price target from analysts is GBX 221.33, with recent updates ranging from JPMorgan’s lowered target of GBX 235 to Berenberg’s raised target of GBX 230.
• Insiders have been buying shares recently, including purchases by Russell O'Brien and Chris O'Shea at GBX 202 per share, signaling some internal confidence in the company.

Centrica plc (LON:CNA - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and five have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is GBX 221.33.

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Centrica from GBX 245 to GBX 235 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a GBX 225 price objective on shares of Centrica in a report on Monday, May 11th. Berenberg Bank boosted their target price on shares of Centrica from GBX 190 to GBX 230 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and issued a GBX 210 price objective on shares of Centrica in a research note on Friday, May 8th.

Centrica Stock Performance

LON CNA opened at GBX 175.70 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 182.39 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of GBX 192.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 92.58. Centrica has a 12-month low of GBX 153.20 and a 12-month high of GBX 220.30. The firm has a market cap of £7.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -117.13, a PEG ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 0.34.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Russell O'Brien acquired 151 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 14th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of GBX 202 per share, with a total value of £305.02. Also, insider Chris O’Shea purchased 456 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of GBX 202 per share, with a total value of £921.12. Insiders purchased a total of 81,703 shares of company stock worth $16,192,642 in the last 90 days. 0.39% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Centrica Company Profile

Centrica is energising a greener, fairer future for our colleagues, customers and communities. Our integrated business operates across the energy value chain, with over ten million Retail customers, leading brands such as British Gas and Bord Gáis Energy, and the UK's largest energy services workforce. Our Infrastructure businesses bring gas and electricity to the market every day and provide more than half of the UK's gas storage capacity, while our Optimisation business delivers world-class procurement and route-to-market capabilities to the Group and third parties, supporting energy security and our customers' decarbonisation journeys.

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