Cerity Partners LLC Raises Stock Position in National Grid Transco, PLC (NYSE:NGG)

Cerity Partners LLC increased its stake in National Grid Transco, PLC (NYSE:NGG - Free Report) by 48.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 48,188 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 15,778 shares during the period. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in National Grid Transco were worth $3,162,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. First Horizon Advisors Inc. raised its position in National Grid Transco by 13.9% in the first quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 1,227 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $81,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC grew its position in National Grid Transco by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 8,156 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $535,000 after purchasing an additional 163 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its position in National Grid Transco by 67.6% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 491 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP boosted its holdings in shares of National Grid Transco by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 12,500 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $743,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Investors Research Corp boosted its holdings in National Grid Transco by 5.3% during the first quarter. Investors Research Corp now owns 4,227 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $277,000 after buying an additional 211 shares in the last quarter. 4.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on NGG. UBS Group cut shares of National Grid Transco from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 29th. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of National Grid Transco in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Royal Bank Of Canada downgraded shares of National Grid Transco from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of National Grid Transco in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, BNP Paribas raised shares of National Grid Transco from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $80.40.

National Grid Transco Stock Performance

National Grid Transco stock traded up $1.75 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $74.28. The company had a trading volume of 1,167,276 shares, compared to its average volume of 755,102. National Grid Transco, PLC has a 52 week low of $54.24 and a 52 week high of $74.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.35, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.63. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $71.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $66.76.

National Grid Transco Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 30th will be issued a $2.0345 dividend. This represents a yield of 4.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. National Grid Transco's payout ratio is 78.27%.

National Grid Transco Profile

National Grid plc transmits and distributes electricity and gas. It operates through UK Electricity Transmission, UK Electricity Distribution, UK Electricity System Operator, New England, New York, National Grid Ventures, and Other segments. The UK Electricity Transmission segment provides electricity transmission and construction work services in England and Wales.