Jefferies Financial Group Reaffirms Hold Rating for Centrica (LON:CNA)

Key Points

• Jefferies reaffirmed a "Hold" on Centrica with a GBX 210 price target (about a 4.7% upside), while other brokers including RBC and Citi have raised targets and issued "Outperform"/"Buy" ratings, leaving the consensus as a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of GBX 203.67.
• Centrica shares traded around GBX 200.50, with a 50‑day/200‑day moving average of GBX 205.90/187.29, a market cap of £9.08bn and a negative P/E, indicating mixed near‑term momentum despite larger‑term stability.
• Insider activity: there was meaningful selling recently (Russell O'Brien sold 336,485 shares at GBX 200) alongside smaller insider purchases, and insiders now hold just 0.39% of the stock.

Centrica (LON:CNA - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold" rating restated by stock analysts at Jefferies Financial Group in a research note issued to investors on Friday,Digital Look reports. They currently have a GBX 210 price objective on the integrated energy company's stock. Jefferies Financial Group's price objective would suggest a potential upside of 4.74% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on CNA. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on shares of Centrica from GBX 200 to GBX 215 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Citigroup lifted their price target on Centrica from GBX 200 to GBX 218 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of GBX 203.67.

Centrica Stock Up 0.9%

Shares of LON CNA opened at GBX 200.50 on Friday. The firm's 50-day moving average is GBX 205.90 and its 200-day moving average is GBX 187.29. Centrica has a 1 year low of GBX 144.30 and a 1 year high of GBX 220.30. The firm has a market capitalization of £9.08 billion, a PE ratio of -133.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.45, a quick ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 98.77.

Centrica (LON:CNA - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, February 20th. The integrated energy company reported GBX 11.20 EPS for the quarter. Centrica had a net margin of 0.37% and a return on equity of 1.68%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Frank Mastiaux acquired 7,544 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was bought at an average price of GBX 190 per share, for a total transaction of £14,333.60. Also, insider Russell O'Brien sold 336,485 shares of Centrica stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 200, for a total value of £672,970. Over the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 11,430 shares of company stock worth $2,216,114 and have sold 1,273,167 shares worth $254,633,400. Corporate insiders own 0.39% of the company's stock.

About Centrica

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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