National Grid (NYSE:NGG) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) shares gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $65.78, but opened at $70.30. National Grid shares last traded at $69.89, with a volume of 300,907 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

NGG has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. StockNews.com raised shares of National Grid from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded National Grid from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Citigroup raised National Grid from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy”.

National Grid Stock Up 5.7 %

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $62.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.38, a P/E/G ratio of 5.64 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.61, a quick ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.18.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in National Grid in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in National Grid by 145.6% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 700 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 415 shares in the last quarter. 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. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in shares of National Grid during the third quarter worth $60,000. 4.68% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.