Centrica plc, the FTSE 100 owner of British Gas, ended Tuesday’s session broadly unchanged, even as the company continued its sizeable share buyback programme and featured in fresh coverage of its investment in a landmark long‑duration energy storage project in Scotland. [1]
Centrica share price today: calm trading around 166p
On 18 November 2025, Centrica’s London‑listed shares (LON: CNA) closed at around 166p, with Hargreaves Lansdown quoting a closing bid–offer of 166.25p/166.30p, up just 0.05p on the day – a move of roughly +0.03%. [2]
Data from Investing.com show the stock trading in a day range of roughly 163.8p to 166.9p, on volume of about 12.4 million shares, leaving the shares essentially flat versus Monday’s 166.25p close. [3]
At this level, Centrica’s market capitalisation stands at about £7.6 billion, and Hargreaves Lansdown puts the trailing price‑to‑earnings ratio near 8.7x, with a historical dividend yield of around 2.7%. [4]
For investors following Google News and Discover, today’s quiet share‑price action sits against a backdrop of active capital returns and a deepening pipeline of net‑zero‑aligned infrastructure projects.
Fresh RNS: another 1.3 million shares bought back
The key company‑specific news dated 18 November 2025 is a new “Transaction in Own Shares” announcement, confirming continued progress in Centrica’s second‑tranche buyback programme.
According to the RNS filed via Investegate, Centrica bought back 1,295,791 ordinary shares on 17 November 2025through J.P. Morgan Securities plc at a volume‑weighted average price of 167.8239p, with individual trades executed between 166.90p and 169.40p. [5]
This latest repurchase forms part of the second tranche of the company’s buyback, which began on 22 September 2025under a non‑discretionary agreement with J.P. Morgan. Since that start date, Centrica has now bought back 83,055,876 shares at an aggregate cost of approximately £142.8 million (excluding dealing costs). [6]
Following yesterday’s trades:
- Treasury shares held by Centrica have risen to 432,165,428
- Shares in issue (excluding treasury) stand at 4,668,441,786
These figures imply that, since late September alone, Centrica has repurchased roughly 1.6% of its total issued share capital, a meaningful pace of capital return alongside ordinary dividends. [7]
The 18 November filing follows a string of similar announcements in recent weeks. On 14 November, the company disclosed the purchase of over 6.5 million shares at an average price just above 168p, also under the buyback agreement. [8]
Cancellation of treasury shares underlines capital‑return intent
The buyback activity is being complemented by outright reductions in share count. On 14 November 2025, Centrica announced the cancellation of 78.5 million treasury shares, in line with its policy of keeping treasury holdings below 10% of total issued share capital. [9]
After that cancellation:
- Treasury shares fell to 424,355,774, or 8.32% of issued share capital
- Total issued ordinary shares were 5,100,607,214
- Voting rights (shares in issue excluding treasury) stood at 4,676,251,440 [10]
Today’s buyback update (which increases treasury shares again) shows that Centrica is not only returning surplus cash but also actively managing its share count — a dynamic that can support earnings per share and dividend growth over time, provided underlying profits remain resilient.
Long‑duration storage in focus: Highview’s £130m funding round
Separately, Centrica’s role in the energy transition featured again in the news flow today via energy‑pedia, which highlighted the group as one of the key investors in Highview’s long‑duration energy storage development at Hunterston, Scotland. [11]
The article, dated 18 November 2025, reports that Highview has secured £130 million in additional funding for the first phase of a 3.2GWh hybrid long‑duration energy storage solution at Hunterston. That brings total capital raised for Highview’s roll‑out to over £500 million. [12]
Key points from the project:
- Investors in the round include the Scottish National Investment Bank (SNIB), Centrica, and private investors such as Goldman Sachs, KIRKBI and Mosaic Capital. [13]
- The first phase will build a so‑called “stability island” that provides grid‑stability services (inertia, short‑circuit and voltage support) to the UK electricity system, particularly important for moving Scottish wind power to demand centres further south. [14]
- The Hunterston facility is the first of Highview’s “Millennium Series” 3.2GWh sites and will ultimately combine liquid‑air energy storage (LAES) with lithium‑ion batteries, allowing the plant to dispatch clean energy for longer and more flexibly. [15]
- The project is expected to support around 1,000 onsite jobs during construction and 650 supply‑chain roles across all phases, with the stability island targeted to be operational by January 2028 and the full hybrid facility by 2030. [16]
Centrica originally disclosed its participation in the funding round in a company news release on 11 November 2025, describing low‑carbon storage as “essential” for managing an increasingly intermittent power system and ensuring reliability when “the wind doesn’t blow and the sun doesn’t shine.” [17]
For investors, today’s syndicated coverage underscores that Centrica is not just a short‑term beneficiary of gas and power markets; it is also positioning itself in long‑duration storage, an area widely seen as critical to balancing high renewable penetration.
Strategic growth pillars: nuclear, LNG and low‑carbon fuels
The Highview investment fits into a broader infrastructure strategy that Centrica has been sketching out through 2025.
Nuclear: 15% stake in Sizewell C
On 4 November 2025, Centrica confirmed the completion of its acquisition of a 15% equity stake in Sizewell C, following financial close and revenue commencement. [18]
At completion, Centrica made an initial investment of £376 million, covering the regulated asset base built up before financial close and pre‑funding part of 2026 construction costs. The company now expects total investment in Sizewell C to reach £500–600 million by the end of 2028, within a capped commitment of £1.3 billion. [19]
Management has framed Sizewell C as central to UK energy security and zero‑carbon baseload power, alongside other assets such as Grain LNG and a UK advanced modular reactor partnership with X‑energy. [20]
Bio‑LNG and road transport decarbonisation
Earlier in the year, on 30 July 2025, Centrica announced it had taken a 16% stake in Gasrec, the UK’s largest dual provider of bio‑LNG and bio‑CNG for heavy goods vehicles. [21]
Gasrec plans to use the investment to expand a nationwide network of open‑access refuelling stations, supplying renewable bio‑LNG to HGV fleets. The company notes that switching from diesel to bio‑LNG can cut CO₂ emissions by up to 85%, depending on feedstock. [22]
Together with Sizewell C and Highview, Gasrec illustrates how Centrica is diversifying across firm low‑carbon power, flexible storage and cleaner transport fuels – themes that increasingly matter to long‑term ESG‑conscious investors.
Retail and customer‑side moves: Tomato Energy rescue and Samsung tie‑up
Today’s share‑price story also sits in the context of recent retail developments at British Gas, Centrica’s UK supply brand.
Supplier of Last Resort: Tomato Energy customers
On 10 November 2025, the group announced that British Gas would act as Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) for customers of Tomato Energy, which has ceased trading. [23]
Key details:
- Tomato Energy served around 15,000 domestic and 8,000 non‑domestic customers across the UK. [24]
- British Gas will migrate these customers, ensuring an uninterrupted energy supply and protecting domestic credit balances under Ofgem rules. [25]
- Centrica CEO Chris O’Shea used the announcement to criticise ongoing weaknesses in supplier financial resilience, noting that Tomato’s collapse marks the 31st supplier failure since 2021 and arguing for stricter capital requirements and the ring‑fencing of customer funds. [26]
The move reinforces British Gas’s role as a “backstop” provider in the UK market, which can bring both additional customers and operational complexity.
Smart‑home tariffs with Samsung
On 6 November 2025, British Gas and Samsung Electronics UK unveiled the “Samsung Weekend Saver Fix” – a new fixed tariff for eligible Samsung customers that offers half‑price electricity between 11am and 4pm on Saturdays, complementing the existing PeakSave Sunday scheme. [27]
Highlights of the collaboration:
- Customers with qualifying Samsung appliances or selected devices can apply for the tariff, combining smart‑home technology with time‑of‑use pricing. [28]
- British Gas reports that more than 1.2 million customers already use its PeakSave programme to lower bills and carbon emissions, saving an estimated £30 million and over 1,600 tonnes of CO₂ since launch. [29]
- The Samsung partnership leans on the SmartThings platform to help households shift energy use into cheaper, lower‑carbon periods. [30]
While not directly moving today’s share price, these initiatives demonstrate how Centrica is trying to deepen customer engagement and monetise demand‑side flexibility – a key strategic theme in a more digital, decentralised energy system.
Financial performance: strong balance sheet supports buybacks
Centrica’s ability to buy back stock aggressively and invest in large projects rests on a balance sheet that has been rebuilt since the energy‑crisis years.
In its H1 2025 interim results, the company reported:
- Adjusted EBITDA of about £900 million
- Free cash flow of £244 million
- Net cash of roughly £2.5 billion [31]
The group reiterated that profits in 2025 are expected to be weighted to the first half, with the second half facing normalised commodity markets and ongoing uncertainty in storage and generation businesses. Centrica Energy Storage+ was guided to an adjusted operating loss toward the top end of a £50–100 million range, pending regulatory clarity over the Rough gas storage asset and its longer‑term role, potentially as a hydrogen‑ready facility. [32]
On shareholder returns, Centrica has reinstated and grown its ordinary dividend:
- The 2024 full‑year dividend totalled 4.5p per share (3.0p final, 1.5p interim). [33]
- A 2025 interim dividend of 1.83p was paid on 30 October 2025 to shareholders on the register as of 19 September 2025. [34]
At today’s 166p share price, the trailing dividend yield of around 2.7% leaves room for growth, particularly if buybacks continue to shrink the share count. [35]
Analyst sentiment: “Moderate Buy” with double‑digit upside
Equity analysts remain broadly constructive on Centrica heading into 2026. A recent MarketBeat survey (10 November 2025) reports that:
- Centrica carries a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating
- Out of six covering analysts, four rate the shares a Buy and two a Hold
- The average 12‑month price target sits at 185.67p, implying mid‑teens percentage upside from today’s ~166p level [36]
Recent broker actions include:
- Royal Bank of Canada lifting its target from 175p to 200p with an outperform rating
- Berenberg raising its price objective to 190p with a buy
- Barclays upgrading Centrica to overweight and increasing its target to 210p [37]
There has also been modest insider buying, with executives purchasing just under 4,800 shares over the past 90 days, albeit from a low base of overall insider ownership (around 0.38%). [38]
These indicators suggest that, while the market recognises regulatory and commodity‑price risks, the street generally sees room for further share‑price appreciation if Centrica executes on its net‑zero infrastructure strategy and maintains disciplined capital returns.
What today’s developments mean for Centrica investors
Taken together, 18 November 2025 offers a snapshot of a company in transition:
- Short term, the share price is drifting sideways despite ongoing buybacks, reflecting a market that appears to be consolidating after a strong multi‑year recovery from pandemic‑era lows. [39]
- Medium term, Centrica is steadying its earnings base with a mix of regulated or contracted assets (Sizewell C, long‑term gas contracts, Grain LNG) and customer‑centric retail initiatives (PeakSave, smart tariffs, SoLR transactions), while structurally reducing its share count. [40]
- Long term, its stakes in long‑duration storage (Highview), bio‑LNG (Gasrec) and advanced nuclear point toward a portfolio designed to remain relevant in a decarbonising energy system, not just a legacy supplier riding the tail end of fossil‑fuel demand. [41]
Investors will be watching the pace of buybacks, the evolution of UK regulatory frameworks (for both storage and retail supply), and the delivery milestones at Sizewell C and Hunterston to judge whether today’s near‑flat share price is a sign of consolidation before the next leg higher, or a signal that much of the good news is already reflected in the valuation.
As always, this article is for information only and does not constitute investment advice. Anyone considering buying or selling Centrica shares should assess their own financial circumstances and, where appropriate, seek professional advice.
References
1. www.hl.co.uk, 2. www.hl.co.uk, 3. www.investing.com, 4. www.hl.co.uk, 5. www.investegate.co.uk, 6. www.investegate.co.uk, 7. www.investegate.co.uk, 8. www.londonstockexchange.com, 9. www.investegate.co.uk, 10. www.investegate.co.uk, 11. www.energy-pedia.com, 12. www.energy-pedia.com, 13. www.energy-pedia.com, 14. www.energy-pedia.com, 15. www.energy-pedia.com, 16. www.energy-pedia.com, 17. www.centrica.com, 18. www.centrica.com, 19. www.centrica.com, 20. www.centrica.com, 21. www.centrica.com, 22. www.centrica.com, 23. www.centrica.com, 24. www.centrica.com, 25. www.centrica.com, 26. www.centrica.com, 27. www.centrica.com, 28. www.centrica.com, 29. www.centrica.com, 30. www.centrica.com, 31. www.directorstalkinterviews.com, 32. www.centrica.com, 33. www.centrica.com, 34. www.hl.co.uk, 35. www.hl.co.uk, 36. www.marketbeat.com, 37. www.marketbeat.com, 38. www.marketbeat.com, 39. www.investing.com, 40. www.centrica.com, 41. www.energy-pedia.com
