Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. Has $421,000 Stock Holdings in National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG)

Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. decreased its stake in shares of National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) by 5.1% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 6,168 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 332 shares during the period. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in National Grid were worth $421,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Creekmur Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in National Grid during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Mather Group LLC. bought a new position in shares of National Grid in the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Cetera Trust Company N.A acquired a new position in shares of National Grid during the 4th quarter worth about $51,000. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new stake in shares of National Grid in the 4th quarter valued at about $53,000. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in National Grid by 22.7% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 826 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 4.68% of the company’s stock.

National Grid Stock Up 2.9 %

NYSE:NGG opened at $59.08 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $62.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $65.55. National Grid plc has a 1-year low of $55.13 and a 1-year high of $73.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.91 and a quick ratio of 0.84.

National Grid Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a semi-annual dividend, which will be paid on Friday, July 19th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be issued a dividend of $2.4939 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 7th. This represents a dividend yield of 6%. This is an increase from National Grid’s previous semi-annual dividend of $1.19.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have weighed in on NGG. BNP Paribas raised National Grid from an “underperform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 2nd. Citigroup upgraded National Grid from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 3rd. StockNews.com raised shares of National Grid from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of National Grid from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, June 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, National Grid presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy”.

National Grid 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.