National Grid (NYSE:NGG) Sees Large Volume Increase

National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) saw an uptick in trading volume on Monday . 977,637 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 183% from the previous session’s volume of 345,412 shares.The stock last traded at $65.16 and had previously closed at $64.42.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently issued reports on NGG. StockNews.com began coverage on shares of National Grid in a research note on Thursday, October 5th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Barclays began coverage on shares of National Grid in a research note on Thursday, September 28th. They set an “overweight” rating on the stock. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,176.25.

National Grid Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 0.93 and a quick ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market cap of $48.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.31, a PEG ratio of 4.79 and a beta of 0.69. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $61.13 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $64.65.

National Grid Cuts Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 11th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 24th will be given a dividend of $1.1899 per share. This represents a yield of 5.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 22nd. National Grid’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 103.33%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Keybank National Association OH grew its holdings in shares of National Grid by 3.7% in the first quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 3,977 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $270,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its holdings in shares of National Grid by 15.7% in the first quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 1,061 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $72,000 after purchasing an additional 144 shares during the last quarter. Bailard Inc. grew its holdings in National Grid by 3.5% during the 3rd quarter. Bailard Inc. now owns 5,088 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $309,000 after acquiring an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Concord Wealth Partners grew its holdings in National Grid by 9.8% during the 3rd quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 1,922 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $117,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dearborn Partners LLC grew its holdings in National Grid by 3.8% during the 3rd quarter. Dearborn Partners LLC now owns 4,803 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $291,000 after acquiring an additional 177 shares in the last quarter. 4.40% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

National Grid Company Profile

National Grid plc transmits and distributes electricity and gas. The company 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.