National Grid Transco (NYSE:NGG) Stock Price Breaks Above 200 Day Moving Average - Should You Sell?

Key Points

• National Grid Transco shares broke above their 200-day moving average, reaching $84.30 and trading around $84.10, up 2.3%.
• Analyst sentiment remains mixed but leans toward “Hold”: four analysts rate the stock Buy, eight Hold, and two Sell, with an average price target of $80.33.
• Institutional investors have increased exposure, but hedge funds and other institutions own only 4.68% of the shares; the company operates regulated electricity and natural-gas infrastructure in the U.K. and parts of the U.S.

National Grid Transco, PLC (NYSE:NGG - Get Free Report)'s share price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $83.21 and traded as high as $84.30. National Grid Transco shares last traded at $84.1020, with a volume of 881,969 shares traded.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut National Grid Transco from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Sunday, August 2nd. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c)" rating on shares of National Grid Transco in a research report on Thursday, October 15th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "buy" rating on shares of National Grid Transco in a research note on Monday, October 5th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of National Grid Transco in a research report on Monday, October 5th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "sell" rating on shares of National Grid Transco in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $80.33.

National Grid Transco Trading Up 2.3%

The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $78.23 and a 200 day simple moving average of $83.21. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.71 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.09.

Institutional Trading of National Grid Transco

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Ferguson Wellman Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in National Grid Transco in the 1st quarter valued at about $21,277,000. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its stake in shares of National Grid Transco by 2,054.0% during the first quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 69,228 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $5,857,000 after purchasing an additional 66,014 shares in the last quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its stake in shares of National Grid Transco by 27.5% during the first quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 268,822 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $22,742,000 after purchasing an additional 58,057 shares in the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its holdings in National Grid Transco by 236.5% during the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 64,266 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,841,000 after buying an additional 45,169 shares during the period. Finally, ABC Arbitrage SA increased its holdings in National Grid Transco by 13.7% during the first quarter. ABC Arbitrage SA now owns 355,114 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $30,043,000 after buying an additional 42,912 shares during the period. 4.68% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

National Grid Transco Company Profile

National Grid plc, formerly known as National Grid Transco, is an energy infrastructure company headquartered in the United Kingdom. It owns and operates electricity transmission networks in Great Britain and manages infrastructure that supports the movement of electricity from power stations and other generation sources to regional distribution networks.

Through its U.S. operations, National Grid provides regulated electricity and natural gas distribution services to residential, commercial and industrial customers in parts of New York and Massachusetts.

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