Centrica (LON:CNA) Sets New 12-Month High – Time to Buy?

Centrica plc (LON:CNA) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The company traded as high as GBX 215.60 and last traded at GBX 210.40, with a volume of 102327828 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at GBX 212.50.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Centrica from GBX 200 to GBX 215 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Citigroup raised their price objective on Centrica from GBX 200 to GBX 218 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of GBX 202.40.

Centrica Stock Down 0.3%

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 98.77, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 0.40. The stock has a market capitalization of £9.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -145.20, a PEG ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 0.48. The firm’s fifty day moving average is GBX 197.21 and its 200-day moving average is GBX 180.42.

Centrica (LON:CNA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 20th. The integrated energy company reported GBX 11.20 earnings per share for the quarter. Centrica had a net margin of 0.37% and a return on equity of 1.68%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Philippe Boisseau acquired 1,021 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 26th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of GBX 184 per share, with a total value of £1,878.64. Also, insider Chris O’Shea sold 609,412 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of GBX 200, for a total value of £1,218,824. In the last ninety days, insiders acquired 11,328 shares of company stock valued at $2,152,763 and sold 1,273,167 shares valued at $254,633,400. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.