Cerity Partners LLC Has $3.16 Million Stock Position in National Grid Transco, PLC (NYSE:NGG)

Cerity Partners LLC raised its position in National Grid Transco, PLC (NYSE:NGG - Free Report) by 48.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 48,188 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 15,778 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in National Grid Transco were worth $3,162,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of NGG. Code Waechter LLC purchased a new stake in shares of National Grid Transco during the 1st quarter valued at about $549,000. Greenleaf Trust increased its holdings in National Grid Transco by 10.5% during the 1st quarter. Greenleaf Trust now owns 4,028 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $264,000 after purchasing an additional 382 shares during the last quarter. M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in National Grid Transco by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 66,375 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,355,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the last quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in National Grid Transco by 16.9% during the 1st quarter. Raleigh Capital Management Inc. now owns 30,468 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,999,000 after purchasing an additional 4,415 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Callan Capital LLC purchased a new stake in National Grid Transco during the 1st quarter worth approximately $276,000. 4.68% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered National Grid Transco from an "outperform" rating to a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of National Grid Transco in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of National Grid Transco in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. BNP Paribas upgraded National Grid Transco from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 29th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating on shares of National Grid Transco in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, National Grid Transco presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $80.40.

National Grid Transco Stock Up 0.6%

Shares of NGG traded up $0.40 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $71.57. 663,737 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 753,792. The company has a market cap of $70.03 billion, a PE ratio of 13.76, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.63. The firm's 50 day moving average is $71.76 and its 200-day moving average is $66.71. National Grid Transco, PLC has a 52 week low of $54.24 and a 52 week high of $74.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.13, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a current ratio of 1.35.

National Grid Transco Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 28th. Investors of record on Friday, May 30th will be given a dividend of $2.0345 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 30th. This represents a dividend yield of 4.7%. National Grid Transco's dividend payout ratio is presently 78.08%.

National Grid Transco Company 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.