National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) Short Interest Update

National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) saw a significant decrease in short interest in March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 1,030,000 shares, a decrease of 29.5% from the February 28th total of 1,460,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 687,900 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.5 days. Approximately 0.1% of the company’s shares are short sold.

Institutional Trading of National Grid

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in National Grid by 119.6% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 26,025 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,546,000 after purchasing an additional 14,175 shares during the last quarter. Brucke Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of National Grid in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $226,000. Vise Technologies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of National Grid by 30.0% during the 4th quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 11,046 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $656,000 after buying an additional 2,550 shares during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its position in shares of National Grid by 193.6% during the fourth quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 23,093 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,372,000 after buying an additional 15,228 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP increased its stake in shares of National Grid by 8.9% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 5,100 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $303,000 after buying an additional 417 shares during the last quarter. 4.68% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

National Grid Stock Up 2.7 %

Shares of NGG stock traded up $1.73 on Friday, hitting $65.66. The stock had a trading volume of 839,670 shares, compared to its average volume of 614,640. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $61.92 and its 200-day moving average is $63.03. The firm has a market capitalization of $64.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.63, a P/E/G ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 0.63. National Grid has a 52-week low of $54.24 and a 52-week high of $72.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a current ratio of 1.61.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

About National Grid

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.