How to buy Centrica shares

Centrica shares have fallen -0.35% from their previous closing price (129p). Learn how to easily invest in Centrica shares.

Centrica PLC (CNA) is a publicly traded utilities - independent power producers business based in the UK which employs around 21,050 staff. Centrica is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and traded in sterling. Its current price of 128.55p is 1.9% up on its price a month ago (126.2p).

How to buy shares in Centrica

  1. Choose a platform. If you're a beginner, our share trading platform picks below can help you choose.
  2. Open your account. Provide your personal information and sign up.
  3. Confirm your payment details. You'll need to fund your account with a bank transfer, debit card or credit card.
  4. Search the platform for stock code: CNA in this case.
  5. Research shares. The platform should provide the latest information available.
  6. Buy your shares. Place a market order or limit order with your preferred number of shares. It's that simple.
The whole process can take as little as 15 minutes. You'll need a smartphone or computer, an internet connection, your passport or driving licence and a means of payment.

Our top picks for where to buy Centrica shares

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Fees for buying 100x Centrica shares with popular platforms

Share prices fluctuate in real time, so the costs presented here should be considered as a guide only. They do not incorporate stamp duty. Always refer to the platform itself for availability and pricing – which may differ from our information.

Platform Customer feedback Monthly fee Min. initial deposit Trading fee estimate Link
eToro Free Stocks logo ★★★★★ £0 $100 £0.00
£128.55 total
Capital at risk
XTB logo ★★★★★ £0 No minimum £0.00
£128.55 total
Capital at risk
Hargreaves Lansdown Fund and Share Account logo ★★★★★ £0 £1 £11.95
£140.50 total
Capital at risk
InvestEngine logo ★★★★★ 0% - 0.25% £100 £0.00
£128.55 total
Capital at risk
CMC Invest share dealing account logo ★★★★★ £0 No minimum £0.00
£128.55 total
Capital at risk

Full comparison of share dealing platforms

These providers cover a wide range of stocks, but we can't guarantee they'll all offer this stock.

All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.

Alternative ways to invest in Centrica

Buying shares in just one company is generally considered a riskier bet than investing in a range of investments - AKA a "diversified portfolio". Experts generally recommend holding a mix of investments in specific assets and funds. Funds are ready-made portfolios of multiple companies' shares (potentially including Centrica), and the idea is that drops in the value of one constituent company's share price might be offset by rises in others.

Centrica is a major part of the London stock exchange, so it's included in many global funds and investment trusts, as well as tracker-style exchange traded funds (ETFs).

IconFund5-year performanceLink to invest
Vanguard iconVanguard FTSE 250 UCITS ETF Distributing (VMID)1.77%Capital at risk
Invesco iconInvesco FTSE 250 UCITS ETF (S250)1.20%Capital at risk
DWS Xtrackers iconXtrackers FTSE 250 UCITS ETF 1D (XMCX)1.08%Capital at risk
HSBC iconHSBC FTSE 250 UCITS ETF GBP (HMCX)0.22%Capital at risk
iShares iconiShares FTSE 250 UCITS ETF (MIDD)0.16%Invest with eToroCapital at risk

All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.

Is it a good time to buy Centrica stock?

Only you can make the decision on the time to leap... but here's some supporting information and analysis.

Use our graph to track the performance of CNA stocks over time.

Share price volatility

Over the last 12 months, Centrica's shares have ranged in value from as little as 98.3886 up to 172.13. A popular way to gauge a stock's volatility is its "beta".

CNA.LSE volatility(beta: 1.1)Avg. volatility(beta: 1.00)LowHigh

Beta is a measure of a share's volatility in relation to the market. The market (LSE average) beta is 1, while Centrica's is 1.096. This would suggest that Centrica's shares are a little bit more volatile than the average for this exchange and represent, relatively-speaking, a slightly higher risk (but potentially also market-beating returns).

Historical closes compared with the last close of 128.55

1 week (2024-03-20)2.68%
1 month (2024-02-27)1.86%
3 months (2023-12-27)-9.06%
6 months (2023-09-27)-16.88%
1 year (2023-03-27)26.09%
3 years (2021-03-25)149.81%
5 years (2019-03-27)11.88%

The gauge below shows real-time ratings that are based on 26 popular indicators such as moving averages, for specific time periods. It's not a recommendation but is simply technical analysis that can form part of your research.

Finder might not agree with the analysis and we take no responsibility. We also give no representations or warranty on the accuracy or completeness of the information provided on this page.

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All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.

Is Centrica under- or over-valued?

Valuing a stock is incredibly difficult, and any metric has to be viewed as part of a bigger picture of overall performance. However, analysts commonly use some key metrics to help gauge value. Check out the Centrica P/E ratio, PEG ratio and EBITDA

Centrica's current share price divided by its per-share earnings (EPS) over a 12-month period gives a "trailing price/earnings ratio" of roughly 2x. In other words, Centrica shares trade at around 2x recent earnings.

That's relatively low compared to, say, the trailing 12-month P/E ratio for the FTSE 250 at the end of September 2019 (19.71). The low P/E ratio could mean that investors are pessimistic about the outlook for the shares or simply that they're under-valued.

However, Centrica's P/E ratio is best considered in relation to those of others within the utilities - independent power producers industry or those of similar companies.

Centrica's "price/earnings-to-growth ratio" can be calculated by dividing its P/E ratio by its growth – to give 0.4523. A PEG ratio below 1 can be interpreted as meaning the shares are not overvalued given the current rate of growth.

The PEG ratio provides a broader view than just the P/E ratio, as it gives more insight into Centrica's future profitability. By accounting for growth, it could also help you if you're comparing the share prices of multiple high-growth companies.

However, it's sensible to consider Centrica's PEG ratio in relation to those of similar companies.

What's Centrica's ESG track record?

Environmental, social and governance (known as ESG) criteria are a set of three factors used to measure the sustainability and social impact of companies like Centrica.

Overall Centrica ESG score

Centrica's total ESG risk: 22.68

Socially conscious investors use ESG scores to screen how an investment aligns with their worldview, and Centrica's overall score of 22.68 (as at 12/31/2018) is pretty good – landing it in it in the 35th percentile of companies rated in the same sector.

ESG scores are increasingly used to estimate the level of risk a company like Centrica is exposed to within the areas of "environmental" (carbon footprint, resource use etc.), "social" (health and safety, human rights etc.), and "governance" (anti-corruption, tax transparency etc.).

To gain some more context, you can compare Centrica's total ESG risk score against those of similar companies.

Centrica's environmental score: 10.03/100

Centrica's environmental score of 10.03 puts it squarely in the 3rd percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Centrica is a leader in its sector terms of its environmental impact, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

Centrica's social score: 12.01/100

Centrica's social score of 12.01 puts it squarely in the 3rd percentile of companies rated in the same sector. This could suggest that Centrica is a leader in its sector when it comes to taking good care of its workforce and the communities it impacts.

Centrica's governance score: 6.64/100

Centrica's governance score puts it squarely in the 3rd percentile of companies rated in the same sector. That could suggest that Centrica is a leader in its sector when it comes to responsible management and strategy, and exposed to a lower level of risk.

Centrica's controversy score: 2/5

ESG scores also evaluate any incidences of controversy that a company has been involved in. A high-profile company, Centrica scored a 2 out of 5 for controversy – the second-highest score possible, reflecting that Centrica has, for the most part, managed to keep its nose clean.

Wondering how that compares? Below are the controversy scores of similar companies.

Frequently asked questions

All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.

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