(Alliance News) - Centrica PLC on Thursday announced a further share buyback and plans to boost its dividend despite a drop in sales and profit in 2024 for the power utility.
In response, shares in Centrica rose 7.7% to 146.40 pence each in London on Thursday morning.
The Windsor, England-based owner of British Gas said pretax profit plunged 74% to GBP1.68 billion in 2024 from GBP6.47 billion in 2023, as revenue fell 25% to GBP19.91 billion from GBP26.46 billion.
Operating profit also slumped by 74%, to GBP1.70 billion from GBP6.51 billion. On an adjusted basis, operating profit fell 44% to GBP1.55 billion from GBP2.75 billion. Within this, adjusted operating profit for Retail, which includes British Gas, fell 47% to GBP427 million from GBP799 million. British Gas itself saw adjusted operating profit fall 60% to GBP297 million from GBP751 million.
Group basic earnings per share tumbled to 25.7 pence from 70.6p.
Centrica called it a "strong financial result against a more normalised backdrop". The company reported bumper profit in recent years as energy prices soared in the wake of the war in Ukraine.
Centrica said its 2025 outlook is unchanged, including plans to boost its dividend.
The full-year dividend was increased 13% to 4.5p from 4.0p, and Centrica plans to increase the payout to 5.5p in 2025, as part of a commitment to reach two-times earnings coverage by 2028. It also announced an additional GBP500 million share buyback extension, taking the total programme to GBP2.0 billion.
Helping its ability to make shareholder returns, Centrica said the recent triennial review of its UK defined benefit pension scheme will result in lower annual payments to fund the deficit.
Centrica agreed with the pension scheme trustees a revised technical provisions deficit of GBP504 million, effective from the end of March.
On a roll-forward basis using the same methodology, consequent assumptions and contributions paid, the technical provisions deficit would be around GBP450 million as at the end of 2024.
This compares to a technical provisions deficit of GBP944 million at the previous March 2021 triennial review and, on a roll-forward basis using consistent 2021 valuation assumptions and methodology, a deficit of around GBP700 million previously disclosed as at June 30, 2024.
As part of the 2024 triennial review, Centrica agreed annual deficit payments of around GBP140 million a year until 2027. This compares to around GBP175 million a year under the previous agreement.
Commenting on Centrica's annual results, Chief Executive Chris O’Shea said: "2024 was a good year for Centrica as we made further operational improvements and ramped up our investment programme.
"Looking ahead, I want to see Centrica continue to focus on the areas that make the biggest difference. We are investing in the energy transition, ensuring our customers have the energy they need, when they need it at a price they can afford. Everything we do must deliver an appropriate return, and our investments during 2024 demonstrate our ability to invest responsibly and profitably."
Centrica also Thursday said it has entered into an agreement with Petrobras, the Brazilian oil and gas company. The contract provides for the purchase by Petrobras of 800,000 tons per year of liquefied natural gas for 15 years, commencing in 2027.
In addition, Centrica announced the next phase of its investment programme in Ireland, increasing its flexible electricity generation capacity by 50% to 1 gigawatt.
By Jeremy Cutler, Alliance News reporter
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