National Grid (NYSE:NGG) Shares Gap Up – What’s Next?

National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG)’s stock price gapped up before the market opened on Friday . The stock had previously closed at $63.93, but opened at $65.63. National Grid shares last traded at $65.84, with a volume of 231,983 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Citigroup raised National Grid from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised National Grid from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Finally, StockNews.com raised shares of National Grid from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, National Grid has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

National Grid Trading Up 2.7 %

The company’s 50 day moving average is $61.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $63.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a current ratio of 1.61 and a quick ratio of 1.54. The firm has a market cap of $64.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.63, a PEG ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 0.63.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of NGG. IFP Advisors Inc grew its position in National Grid by 20.0% in the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,043 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its position in National Grid by 36.2% in the 4th quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 723 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $43,000 after buying an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in National Grid by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 23,925 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,422,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its position in shares of National Grid 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 buying an additional 198 shares during the period. Finally, Two Sigma Advisers LP raised its position in shares of National Grid by 1.6% during 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. 4.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

National Grid 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.