Centrica (LON:CNA) Hits New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

Centrica plc (LON:CNA) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as GBX 169.65 ($2.32) and last traded at GBX 169.55 ($2.31), with a volume of 54530766 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at GBX 163.35 ($2.23).

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on CNA shares. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Centrica from GBX 175 to GBX 200 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Centrica from GBX 177 to GBX 179 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Berenberg Bank lifted their target price on shares of Centrica from GBX 155 to GBX 190 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 11th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a GBX 185 target price on shares of Centrica in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Centrica presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of GBX 180.80.

Centrica Trading Up 3.4%

The company has a market cap of £7.95 billion, a PE ratio of -3,671.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.45 and a beta of 1.08. The company has a quick ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 1.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 66.48. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of GBX 160.83 and a 200-day simple moving average of GBX 156.11.

Centrica (LON:CNA) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, July 24th. The integrated energy company reported GBX 7 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Centrica had a return on equity of 25.16% and a net margin of 5.39%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Centrica news, insider Philippe Boisseau bought 1,028 shares of Centrica stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 26th. The shares were bought at an average cost of GBX 164 per share, for a total transaction of £1,685.92. Also, insider Chris O’Shea sold 770,946 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of GBX 168, for a total transaction of £1,295,189.28. Over the last quarter, insiders have acquired 3,645 shares of company stock worth $595,896. 0.34% of the stock is 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.