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| 26.06.25 13:02:00 | Leap Powering National Grid’s Virtual Power Plant Initiative in Massachusetts |  |
| Leap and National Grid expand their VPP pilot. Following a successful pilot in New York, National Grid and Leap expand collaboration to bolster grid reliability. SAN FRANCISCO & BOSTON, June 26, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leap, a leading virtual power plant (VPP) platform, and National Grid, one of world’s largest energy utilities, today announced the expansion of their grid services collaboration to selected National Grid facilities in Massachusetts. Building on a successful pilot project in New York, this initiative will enable the Massachusetts facilities to easily access virtual power plant (VPP) opportunities that help advance the state’s climate goals. Through Leap’s software-only solution, select National Grid office buildings in Massachusetts will participate in the state’s Clean Peak Standard and ConnectedSolutions grid services programs. This will lower the buildings’ electricity usage during periods of grid strain. "We’re proud to expand our collaboration with National Grid and bring the advantages of VPP solutions to these Massachusetts facilities," said Thomas Folker, Chief Strategy Officer and co-founder of Leap. "National Grid’s program underscores the immense potential of using grid-interactive buildings as resources to strengthen and decarbonize the energy system." At National Grid’s most recent NextGrid Alliance Summit in Boston, Folker joined senior officials from the U.S. Department of Energy for a breakout session on how VPPs can help reduce customer costs and balance grid demand. Folker shared insights from Leap’s initiative facilitating VPP participation for National Grid’s New York facilities. The annual Summit brings together utilities, regulators and startups to focus on innovative solutions for grid transformation. "By operating our office buildings as a virtual power plant, National Grid will enhance local grid resilience and lower carbon emissions, benefiting Massachusetts residents and advancing the state’s climate goals," said Amanda Downey, VP of New England Operations Support at National Grid. "It's important to walk the walk and continue demonstrating the critical role distributed energy solutions can play in the energy transition." Leap’s technology enables distributed energy resources (DERs) such as smart thermostats, EV chargers, and HVAC systems to easily participate in energy markets. By aggregating loads from DERs into virtual power plants, Leap enables operators to balance the grid with less reliance on fossil-fueled "peaker" plants. Massachusetts’ Clean Peak Energy Standard program offers incentives to clean technologies that boost energy supply or reduce demand during seasonal periods of peak demand. ConnectedSolutions provides incentives to residential and commercial electric customers that allow their excess energy to be used as virtual power plants during times of peak demand. Story Continues National Grid Partners, the utility’s venture investment and innovation arm, is an investor in Leap. The organization invests in startups whose technology has potential to help National Grid's business units accelerate the energy transition. About Leap Leap is the leading platform for generating new value from distributed energy resources (DERs) through integration with energy markets. Through its software-only solution, Leap facilitates fast, easy and automated access to high-value grid services revenue streams for the providers of batteries, electric vehicle charging, smart thermostats, HVAC systems and other flexible assets. By aggregating the DERs enrolled on its platform, Leap supplies virtual power plants (VPPs) to balance the grid. Leap enables its partners and their customers to unlock new value streams and help create a more flexible, resilient grid powered by renewable resources. About National Grid National Grid (NYSE: NGG) is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people through our networks in New York and Massachusetts. National Grid is transforming our electricity and natural gas networks with smarter, cleaner, and more resilient energy solutions to meet the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. For more information, please visit our website, follow us on Twitter, watch us on YouTube, friend us on Facebook, and find our photos on Instagram. About National Grid Partners National Grid Partners is the venture investment and innovation arm of National Grid plc., one of the world's largest investor-owned energy companies. By providing corporate venture capital, business development counsel and direct integration with National Grid’s innovation teams, National Grid Partners is accelerating the energy transition and helping innovators reach critical scale faster. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, National Grid Partners has offices in Boston, London, and New York. Visit ngpartners.com or follow us on Twitter (@ngpartners_) and LinkedIn. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250626846597/en/ Contacts Caroline Thompson Marketing Manager caroline@leap.energy View Comments |
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| 25.06.25 11:22:49 | A Look At The Fair Value Of National Grid plc (LON:NG.) | |
| Key Insights Using the 2 Stage Free Cash Flow to Equity, National Grid fair value estimate is UK£11.30 With UK£10.68 share price, National Grid appears to be trading close to its estimated fair value Industry average discount to fair value of 5.7% suggests National Grid's peers are currently trading at a higher discount High Yield Savings Offers Earn 4.10% APY** on balances of $5,000 or more View Offer Earn up to 4.00% APY with Savings Pods View Offer Earn up to 3.80% APY¹ & up to $300 Cash Bonus with Direct Deposit View Offer Powered by Money.com - Yahoo may earn commission from the links above. In this article we are going to estimate the intrinsic value of National Grid plc (LON:NG.) by taking the forecast future cash flows of the company and discounting them back to today's value. Our analysis will employ the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) model. Before you think you won't be able to understand it, just read on! It's actually much less complex than you'd imagine. Companies can be valued in a lot of ways, so we would point out that a DCF is not perfect for every situation. Anyone interested in learning a bit more about intrinsic value should have a read of the Simply Wall St analysis model. Trump has pledged to "unleash" American oil and gas and these 15 US stocks have developments that are poised to benefit. What's The Estimated Valuation? We are going to use a two-stage DCF model, which, as the name states, takes into account two stages of growth. The first stage is generally a higher growth period which levels off heading towards the terminal value, captured in the second 'steady growth' period. To begin with, we have to get estimates of the next ten years of cash flows. Where possible we use analyst estimates, but when these aren't available we extrapolate the previous free cash flow (FCF) from the last estimate or reported value. We assume companies with shrinking free cash flow will slow their rate of shrinkage, and that companies with growing free cash flow will see their growth rate slow, over this period. We do this to reflect that growth tends to slow more in the early years than it does in later years. Generally we assume that a dollar today is more valuable than a dollar in the future, so we need to discount the sum of these future cash flows to arrive at a present value estimate: 10-year free cash flow (FCF) forecast 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 2032 2033 2034 Levered FCF (£, Millions) -UK£3.28b UK£901.8m UK£1.26b UK£1.64b UK£2.03b UK£2.44b UK£2.75b UK£3.01b UK£3.24b UK£3.43b Growth Rate Estimate Source Analyst x3 Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Analyst x1 Est @ 12.58% Est @ 9.57% Est @ 7.46% Est @ 5.98% Present Value (£, Millions) Discounted @ 6.6% -UK£3.1k UK£793 UK£1.0k UK£1.3k UK£1.5k UK£1.7k UK£1.8k UK£1.8k UK£1.8k UK£1.8k ("Est" = FCF growth rate estimated by Simply Wall St) Present Value of 10-year Cash Flow (PVCF) = UK£10b Story Continues After calculating the present value of future cash flows in the initial 10-year period, we need to calculate the Terminal Value, which accounts for all future cash flows beyond the first stage. The Gordon Growth formula is used to calculate Terminal Value at a future annual growth rate equal to the 5-year average of the 10-year government bond yield of 2.5%. We discount the terminal cash flows to today's value at a cost of equity of 6.6%. Terminal Value (TV)= FCF2034 × (1 + g) ÷ (r – g) = UK£3.4b× (1 + 2.5%) ÷ (6.6%– 2.5%) = UK£86b Present Value of Terminal Value (PVTV)= TV / (1 + r)10= UK£86b÷ ( 1 + 6.6%)10= UK£45b The total value is the sum of cash flows for the next ten years plus the discounted terminal value, which results in the Total Equity Value, which in this case is UK£55b. To get the intrinsic value per share, we divide this by the total number of shares outstanding. Compared to the current share price of UK£10.7, the company appears about fair value at a 5.5% discount to where the stock price trades currently. Remember though, that this is just an approximate valuation, and like any complex formula - garbage in, garbage out.LSE:NG. Discounted Cash Flow June 25th 2025 The Assumptions Now the most important inputs to a discounted cash flow are the discount rate, and of course, the actual cash flows. If you don't agree with these result, have a go at the calculation yourself and play with the assumptions. The DCF also does not consider the possible cyclicality of an industry, or a company's future capital requirements, so it does not give a full picture of a company's potential performance. Given that we are looking at National Grid as potential shareholders, the cost of equity is used as the discount rate, rather than the cost of capital (or weighted average cost of capital, WACC) which accounts for debt. In this calculation we've used 6.6%, which is based on a levered beta of 0.800. Beta is a measure of a stock's volatility, compared to the market as a whole. We get our beta from the industry average beta of globally comparable companies, with an imposed limit between 0.8 and 2.0, which is a reasonable range for a stable business. See our latest analysis for National Grid SWOT Analysis for National Grid Strength Earnings growth over the past year exceeded the industry. Debt is well covered by earnings. Weakness Dividend is low compared to the top 25% of dividend payers in the Integrated Utilities market. Opportunity Current share price is below our estimate of fair value. Lack of analyst coverage makes it difficult to determine NG.'s earnings prospects. Threat Debt is not well covered by operating cash flow. Paying a dividend but company has no free cash flows. Looking Ahead: Valuation is only one side of the coin in terms of building your investment thesis, and it ideally won't be the sole piece of analysis you scrutinize for a company. It's not possible to obtain a foolproof valuation with a DCF model. Preferably you'd apply different cases and assumptions and see how they would impact the company's valuation. If a company grows at a different rate, or if its cost of equity or risk free rate changes sharply, the output can look very different. For National Grid, there are three pertinent items you should further examine: Risks: We feel that you should assess the 2 warning signs for National Grid (1 is a bit unpleasant!) we've flagged before making an investment in the company. Other Solid Businesses: Low debt, high returns on equity and good past performance are fundamental to a strong business. Why not explore our interactive list of stocks with solid business fundamentals to see if there are other companies you may not have considered! Other Top Analyst Picks: Interested to see what the analysts are thinking? Take a look at our interactive list of analysts' top stock picks to find out what they feel might have an attractive future outlook! PS. Simply Wall St updates its DCF calculation for every British stock every day, so if you want to find the intrinsic value of any other stock just search here. — Weekly Picks from Community Investing narratives with Fair Values A case for TSXV:USA to reach USD $5.00 - $9.00 (CAD $7.30–$12.29) by 2029. By Agricola – Community Contributor Fair Value Estimated: CA$12.29 · 0.9% Overvalued DLocal's Future Growth Fueled by 35% Revenue and Profit Margin Boosts By WynnLevi – Community Contributor Fair Value Estimated: $195.39 · 0.9% Overvalued Historically Cheap, but the Margin of Safety Is Still Thin By Mandelman – Community Contributor Fair Value Estimated: SEK232.58 · 0.2% Overvalued View more featured narratives — Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content?Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. View Comments |
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| 18.04.25 16:00:05 | National Grid (NGG) Is Up 3.23% in One Week: What You Should Know | |
| Momentum investing is all about the idea of following a stock's recent trend, which can be in either direction. In the 'long' context, investors will essentially be "buying high, but hoping to sell even higher." And for investors following this methodology, taking advantage of trends in a stock's price is key; once a stock establishes a course, it is more than likely to continue moving in that direction. The goal is that once a stock heads down a fixed path, it will lead to timely and profitable trades. While many investors like to look for momentum in stocks, this can be very tough to define. There is a lot of debate surrounding which metrics are the best to focus on and which are poor quality indicators of future performance. The Zacks Momentum Style Score, part of the Zacks Style Scores, helps address this issue for us. Below, we take a look at National Grid (NGG), a company that currently holds a Momentum Style Score of B. We also talk about price change and earnings estimate revisions, two of the main aspects of the Momentum Style Score. It's also important to note that Style Scores work as a complement to the Zacks Rank, our stock rating system that has an impressive track record of outperformance. National Grid currently has a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy). Our research shows that stocks rated Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and #2 (Buy) and Style Scores of A or B outperform the market over the following one-month period. You can see the current list of Zacks #1 Rank Stocks here >>> Set to Beat the Market? In order to see if NGG is a promising momentum pick, let's examine some Momentum Style elements to see if this electricity and gas utility holds up. Looking at a stock's short-term price activity is a great way to gauge if it has momentum, since this can reflect both the current interest in a stock and if buyers or sellers have the upper hand at the moment. It is also useful to compare a security to its industry, as this can help investors pinpoint the top companies in a particular area. For NGG, shares are up 3.23% over the past week while the Zacks Utility - Electric Power industry is up 1.41% over the same time period. Shares are looking quite well from a longer time frame too, as the monthly price change of 10.8% compares favorably with the industry's 0.3% performance as well. While any stock can see its price increase, it takes a real winner to consistently beat the market. That is why looking at longer term price metrics -- such as performance over the past three months or year -- can be useful as well. Shares of National Grid have increased 18.78% over the past quarter, and have gained 10.19% in the last year. On the other hand, the S&P 500 has only moved -11.63% and 6.63%, respectively. Story Continues Investors should also take note of NGG's average 20-day trading volume. Volume is a useful item in many ways, and the 20-day average establishes a good price-to-volume baseline; a rising stock with above average volume is generally a bullish sign, whereas a declining stock on above average volume is typically bearish. Right now, NGG is averaging 970,738 shares for the last 20 days. Earnings Outlook The Zacks Momentum Style Score also takes into account trends in estimate revisions, in addition to price changes. Please note that estimate revision trends remain at the core of Zacks Rank as well. A nice path here can help show promise, and we have recently been seeing that with NGG. Over the past two months, 1 earnings estimate moved higher compared to none lower for the full year. These revisions helped boost NGG's consensus estimate, increasing from $4.80 to $4.81 in the past 60 days. Looking at the next fiscal year, 1 estimate has moved upwards while there have been no downward revisions in the same time period. Bottom Line Taking into account all of these elements, it should come as no surprise that NGG is a #2 (Buy) stock with a Momentum Score of B. If you've been searching for a fresh pick that's set to rise in the near-term, make sure to keep National Grid on your short list. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report National Grid Transco, PLC (NGG) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research View Comments |
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| 17.04.25 15:59:00 | Reasons to Add National Grid Stock to Your Portfolio Now | |
| National Grid NGG is poised to benefit from its systematic investment to upgrade and expand infrastructure. Rising demand from new customer connections and its low-risk, high-quality asset make NGG a solid investment option in the utility sector. Let us focus on the factors that make this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) company a strong investment pick at the moment. NGG’s Earnings Growth Projections The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2025 and 2026 earnings per share (EPS) has increased 0.21% and 0.58%, respectively, in the past 60 days.Zacks Investment Research Image Source: Zacks Investment Research National Grid’s long-term (three to five years) earnings growth rate is 2.34%. NGG’s Focus on Clean Energy The company is enabling the energy transition for all and aims to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. National Grid is working with its partners to accelerate the development of a clean energy future. In the United States, NGG has made significant investments in large-scale renewable energy projects, including wind and solar. Demand From New Customers The company will benefit from rising demand from new customer connections in its service region. National Grid will enjoy the benefit of 2.3 gigawatts of additional demand coming from new customers. The company also received transmission-scale data center connection requests. NGG’s Solvency The time-to-interest earned ratio at the end of fiscal 2024 was 2.8. The ratio, being greater than one, reflects the company’s ability to meet future interest obligations without difficulties. National Grid’s Dividend Yield NGG has been consistently increasing shareholders’ value by paying dividends. The company's current dividend yield is 2.84%, up from the S&P 500 Composite's 1.66%. NGG’s Systematic Investments National Grid has plans to invest nearly $69 billion (£ 60 billion) across its service territory in the United Kingdom and the United States over the next five years, with nearly half of the funding dedicated to U.S. energy system improvements in Massachusetts and New York. NGG Stock’s Price Performance In the past six months, the stock has gained 6.5% against the industry’s decline of 4%.Zacks Investment Research Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Other Stocks to Consider A few other top-ranked stocks from the same industry are Exelon Corporation EXC, The AES Corporation AES and Consolidated Edison ED, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. EXC’s long-term earnings growth rate is 5.99%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 EPS has moved up by 1.14% in the past 60 days. AES’ long-term earnings growth rate is 3.32%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 EPS has moved up by 5.94% in the past 60 days. ED’s long-term earnings growth rate is 5.57%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 EPS reflects year-over-year growth of 4.07%. Story Continues Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Exelon Corporation (EXC) : Free Stock Analysis Report Consolidated Edison Inc (ED) : Free Stock Analysis Report The AES Corporation (AES) : Free Stock Analysis Report National Grid Transco, PLC (NGG) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research View Comments |
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| 16.04.25 06:02:01 | National Grid plc's (LON:NG.) large institutional owners must be happy as stock continues to impress, up 6.4% over the past week |  |
| Key Insights Significantly high institutional ownership implies National Grid's stock price is sensitive to their trading actions A total of 25 investors have a majority stake in the company with 46% ownership Analyst forecasts along with ownership data serve to give a strong idea about prospects for a business This technology could replace computers: discover the 20 stocks are working to make quantum computing a reality. Every investor in National Grid plc (LON:NG.) should be aware of the most powerful shareholder groups. With 77% stake, institutions possess the maximum shares in the company. Put another way, the group faces the maximum upside potential (or downside risk). And last week, institutional investors ended up benefitting the most after the company hit UK£52b in market cap. The one-year return on investment is currently 21% and last week's gain would have been more than welcomed. Let's take a closer look to see what the different types of shareholders can tell us about National Grid. See our latest analysis for National Grid LSE:NG. Ownership Breakdown April 16th 2025 What Does The Institutional Ownership Tell Us About National Grid? Institutions typically measure themselves against a benchmark when reporting to their own investors, so they often become more enthusiastic about a stock once it's included in a major index. We would expect most companies to have some institutions on the register, especially if they are growing. We can see that National Grid does have institutional investors; and they hold a good portion of the company's stock. This suggests some credibility amongst professional investors. But we can't rely on that fact alone since institutions make bad investments sometimes, just like everyone does. It is not uncommon to see a big share price drop if two large institutional investors try to sell out of a stock at the same time. So it is worth checking the past earnings trajectory of National Grid, (below). Of course, keep in mind that there are other factors to consider, too.LSE:NG. Earnings and Revenue Growth April 16th 2025 Since institutional investors own more than half the issued stock, the board will likely have to pay attention to their preferences. Hedge funds don't have many shares in National Grid. BlackRock, Inc. is currently the company's largest shareholder with 9.4% of shares outstanding. With 5.3% and 2.4% of the shares outstanding respectively, The Vanguard Group, Inc. and Capital Research and Management Company are the second and third largest shareholders. Our studies suggest that the top 25 shareholders collectively control less than half of the company's shares, meaning that the company's shares are widely disseminated and there is no dominant shareholder. Story Continues Researching institutional ownership is a good way to gauge and filter a stock's expected performance. The same can be achieved by studying analyst sentiments. There are plenty of analysts covering the stock, so it might be worth seeing what they are forecasting, too. Insider Ownership Of National Grid While the precise definition of an insider can be subjective, almost everyone considers board members to be insiders. The company management answer to the board and the latter should represent the interests of shareholders. Notably, sometimes top-level managers are on the board themselves. I generally consider insider ownership to be a good thing. However, on some occasions it makes it more difficult for other shareholders to hold the board accountable for decisions. Our most recent data indicates that insiders own less than 1% of National Grid plc. Being so large, we would not expect insiders to own a large proportion of the stock. Collectively, they own UK£28m of stock. It is good to see board members owning shares, but it might be worth checking if those insiders have been buying. General Public Ownership The general public, who are usually individual investors, hold a 22% stake in National Grid. While this group can't necessarily call the shots, it can certainly have a real influence on how the company is run. Next Steps: While it is well worth considering the different groups that own a company, there are other factors that are even more important. Take risks for example - National Grid has 4 warning signs (and 3 which can't be ignored) we think you should know about. If you would prefer discover what analysts are predicting in terms of future growth, do not miss this freereport on analyst forecasts. NB: Figures in this article are calculated using data from the last twelve months, which refer to the 12-month period ending on the last date of the month the financial statement is dated. This may not be consistent with full year annual report figures. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content?Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. View Comments |
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| 15.04.25 12:32:50 | National Grid (NGG): Among the Best Performing Stocks in Europe | |
| We recently published a list of 11 Top Performing European Stocks So Far In 2025. In this article, we are going to take a look at where National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) stands against other best performing European stocks to invest in. The world economy is hanging by a thread, as the macroeconomic environment consists of trade wars, retaliatory tariffs, and political unrest in Ukraine and the Middle East. It adds to economic uncertainty, with market experts offering cautious economic forecasts. According to EY, the euro area will experience a modest economic turnaround in 2025, and growth is expected to increase from 0.7% last year to 1.3% and 1.8% in 2025 and 2026, respectively. It is forecasted to simmer down to 1.4% in 2027. Among all European countries, Malta is projected to experience the highest GDP growth in 2025 at 4%. EY expects soft employment growth across Europe, driven by demographic challenges and subdued labor demand. Unemployment will likely remain at 2024 levels. While nominal wage this year will clock in higher than pre-pandemic levels, wage growth will take a hit. Central and Eastern European countries are forecasted to experience relatively higher inflation in 2025, while the overall rate remains just over 2% in the euro area. Meanwhile, German economic institutes have slashed their growth projections for 2025 to 0.1% from the previous forecast of 0.8% in September 2024. This revised estimate does not incorporate the recent tariffs levied by the US. These tariffs will be a major setback for European economies, possibly toppling them over the edge of recession for the third consecutive year. The new conservative government declared a €500 billion fund to improve infrastructure and defence and stimulate growth. The fiscal package enhances the economic outlook for 2026 and 2027. However, as the United States is feeling the pressure from high valuations and growing political instability, analysts are looking towards Europe as a better bet for stock investors. Analysts point towards Europe offering a more stable outlook, with lower stock prices, clearer policy direction, and even potential interest rate cuts on the horizon. Investors seem to be shifting their focus, partly because the threat of US tariffs on Europe, especially on automobiles, feels less uncertain now that details are clearer. There is also less exposure to tech in Europe, which is seen as a good thing right now. Europe’s markets, with just 10% tech exposure in the Europe 600 compared to 30% in the broader market, look more balanced. Story Continues With solid earnings, rising share buybacks, and cheaper stock valuations, investors are turning to Europe. Experts suggest that European and UK markets now have their best shot in years at outperforming the US. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the best-performing stocks in Europe so far in 2025.National Grid plc (NGG): Among the Best Performing Stocks in Europe An overhead view of electricity transmission towers, showing the scale and reach of the company's network. Our Methodology To compile our list of the top performing European stocks this year, used the Finviz screener, applying filters for the region and a market cap of over 10 billion to identify stable European companies. Next, we applied a performance filter and selected 11 European stocks with the highest YTD share price growth as of April 11. We have also mentioned the Q4 2024 hedge fund sentiment around the holdings for further insight. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here). National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 17 YTD Share Price Performance as of April 11: 14.31% National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) is a London-based company involved in electricity and gas transmission and distribution in the United States and the United Kingdom. The company develops energy interconnectors, LNG imports, and renewables through its National Grid Ventures arm. It has additional property and insurance operations in the UK as well. National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) is one of the best performing stocks in Europe so far this year, with the shares up 14.3% year-to-date as of April 11. On March 17, Bernstein analyst Deepa Venkateswaran upgraded National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) to Outperform with a price target of £11.20, up from £10.40. The analyst noted the stock’s undervaluation compared to its US and European counterparts, as well as strong growth potential and returns in both its US and UK operations. National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) submitted plans for the Sea Link project on March 28, which is a 138 km mostly offshore electricity connection between Kent and Suffolk. As part of The Great Grid Upgrade, it aims to strengthen energy security and provide more clean power as demand increases. After several rounds of public consultation since 2022, National Grid says community feedback helped shape the final plans. The proposal will now go through the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) process, with more chances for public input during the next phase. Among the hedge funds tracked by Insider Monkey, 17 funds reported owning stakes in National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) at the end of Q4 2024, compared to 19 funds in the earlier quarter. Jim Simons’ Renaissance Technologies was the biggest stakeholder of the company, with 3.1 million shares worth $185.2 million. Overall, NGG ranks 8th among the 11 Top Performing European Stocks So Far In 2025. While we acknowledge the potential of European stocks, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter time frame. There is an AI stock that went up since the beginning of 2025, while popular AI stocks lost around 25%. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than NGG but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. View Comments |
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| 25.03.25 11:15:00 | Black Hills' Unit Receives Approval for Rate Hike in Colorado | |
| Black Hills Corp. BKH announced that its electric utility subsidiary in Colorado received approval from the Colorado Public Utilities Commission for new rates. The new rates turned effective on March 22, 2025. The approved new rates will provide for the recovery of nearly $370 million in system investments since the utility’s last general rate filing in 2016, as well as inflationary impacts on costs to serve customers. The rates provide nearly $17 million of new annual revenues based on a weighted average cost of capital of 6.90% with a capital structure of 47-49% equity, 51-53% debt and a return on equity of 9.3-9.5%. As part of the regulatory process, the company has the opportunity to file a request for rehearing, reargument or reconsideration with the commission by April 7, 2025. Utilities’ Essential Rate Hike Utility regulators in the United States are considering increases in electricity rates as electric utilities seek to cover the investments needed to maintain and expand their systems. Utilities requested rate increases in recent years to pay for improvements to transmission and distribution lines to withstand increasingly serious weather and fire events, prepare for increased electrification as state and federal clean energy legislation is implemented, and move more energy reliably, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence Capital IQ Pro. Customers are undoubtedly burdened financially by the rate hikes, even though utilities need to revise rates on a regular basis. Infrastructure additions and maintenance are continuous processes. Rates hikes include upgrades to make the grid more resilient and shorten the duration of outages that help serve customers more efficiently. Rate hikes at regular intervals allow utilities to continue with infrastructure spending, as they have funds available. Other Utilities’ Focus on Rate Hike Along with BKH, other utility companies like National Grid Transco NGG, Consolidated Edison ED and Duke Energy DUK are focused on improving their service reliability through rate hikes. As of March 25, 2025, National Grid is seeking a 15-20% increase in electric and gas rates for residential customers in New York. The proposed rate reset is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2025. The company stated that the plan aims to maintain infrastructure, improve customer service, support economic growth and prepare networks for a transition to clean energy sources. NGG’s long-term (three to five years) earnings growth rate is 2.34%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal 2025 earnings per share (EPS) implies a year-over-year decline of 5.5%. In January 2025, Consolidated Edison proposed rate hikes that would increase the average electric bill by nearly 11.5% more for electricity and nearly 13.5% more for natural gas. The proposed increase will take effect on Jan. 1, 2026. The state's Public Service Commission made the final decision after an 11-month process. ED’s long-term earnings growth rate is 5.57%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 EPS implies year-over-year growth of 4.1%. In July 2024, new rates were approved for Duke Energy Carolinas customers in South Carolina. Beginning Aug. 1, 2024, a typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) witnessed an increase of about 8.7% or $12.06 per month. Beginning Aug. 1, 2026, residential rates will increase another 4.3%, resulting in an additional $6.42 per month for a typical residential customer using 1,000 kWh. DUK’s long-term earnings growth rate is 6.33%. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2025 EPS implies a year-over-year increase of 7.1%. Story Continues BKH’s Stock Price Performance In the past three months, shares of Black Hills have risen 0.8% compared with the industry’s 4.3% growth.Zacks Investment Research Image Source: Zacks Investment Research BKH’s Zacks Rank The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here. Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Duke Energy Corporation (DUK) : Free Stock Analysis Report Consolidated Edison Inc (ED) : Free Stock Analysis Report Black Hills Corporation (BKH) : Free Stock Analysis Report National Grid Transco, PLC (NGG) : Free Stock Analysis Report This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com). Zacks Investment Research View Comments |
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| 25.03.25 06:30:00 | Heathrow’s key electricity supplies were ‘fully operational’ during fire, says SSE | |
| Heathrow Airport closed for most of Friday following a catastrophic fire at National Grid’s North Hyde substation - Jonathan Brady/PA SSE has added to pressure on Heathrow after confirming that key electricity supplies into the airport continued uninterrupted last week despite the fire that wiped out a nearby National Grid substation. Two sets of cables into the airport remained “fully operational” according to SSE, which runs the networks that directly supply Heathrow and most of Hillingdon. The revelation piles fresh pressure on the bosses of the foreign-owned airport, following a separate statement from John Pettigrew, National Grid chief executive, that Heathrow always had “enough power”. Heathrow executives are facing calls to explain their apparent lack of preparation for fluctuations in grid supplies and consequent decision to shut down the airport. Europe’s busiest airport closed for most of Friday following a catastrophic fire at National Grid’s North Hyde substation, Heathrow’s primary electricity source, on Thursday night. However, Heathrow should have been able to switch supplies to two other National Grid substations in the region, at Laleham and Iver, both with feeds into Heathrow. All three substations are shared with SSE, with National Grid bringing in high-voltage power and feeding it into transformers belonging to SSE that reduce the voltage so it can be distributed to local consumers. For major customers like Heathrow, SSE feeds the power into another set of transformers on their sites. Heathrow then takes responsibility for its use just as householders are responsible for the wiring and consumption within their homes. Heathrow’s apparent inability to switch supplies smoothly shut down the airport and resulted in the cancellation of 1,300 flights, ruining travel arrangements for hundreds of thousands of passengers. Compensation costs are expected to cost airlines tens of millions of pounds. Energy experts say such power failures are a known threat and there is tried-and-tested technology to minimise the impacts. Edward Galvin, an expert at consultancy DC Byte, said it was standard for data centres to have “failover” systems that keep their power going in the event of power cuts, either by switching them over to alternative substations or by firing up a backup generator. This process typically takes minutes and is seamless. Heathrow insisted it needed most of Friday to recover after the airport lost power. Mr Galvin said this indicated the airport had not invested in proper backup systems, which he suggested might cost around £50m in this case. He added: “Fundamentally, there is no reason why Heathrow could not have the same automatic failover systems that worked perfectly for nearby data centres that were also attached to the same sub-station. Story Continues “These types of power outages are what data centre operators have to plan for literally every day.” The Virtus London 2 and Ark Union Park data centres, which draw around 50 megawatts (MW) combined, were also connected to the North Hyde substation that was knocked out by the fire on Friday but neither suffered a loss of power due to their backup systems, according to DC Byte. Heathrow’s peak electricity demand is in the 40 to 60 MW range, experts have estimated, about the same as a mid-sized data centre. A Heathrow spokesman said: “Lessons can and will be learned. We have multiple sources of energy into Heathrow. When a source is interrupted, we have back up diesel generators and uninterruptable power supplies in place, and they all operated as expected. “But our backup systems are safety systems which allow us to land aircraft and evacuate passengers safely – they are not designed to allow us to run a full operation. “Hundreds of critical systems across the airport were required to be safely powered down and then safely and systematically rebooted. Given Heathrow’s size and operational complexity, safely restarting operations after a disruption of this magnitude was a significant challenge.” National Grid faces a formal investigation by the National Energy System Operator into why such an essential piece of infrastructure caught fire in the first place. The site was rebuilt about 15 years ago implying it should have been in good shape, raising questions over maintenance and human error. View Comments |
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| 23.03.25 08:05:40 | National Grid (LON:NG.) shareholders have earned a 3.7% CAGR over the last three years | |
| As an investor its worth striving to ensure your overall portfolio beats the market average. But the risk of stock picking is that you will likely buy under-performing companies. Unfortunately, that's been the case for longer term National Grid plc (LON:NG.) shareholders, since the share price is down 13% in the last three years, falling well short of the market return of around 18%. With that in mind, it's worth seeing if the company's underlying fundamentals have been the driver of long term performance, or if there are some discrepancies. In his essay The Superinvestors of Graham-and-Doddsville Warren Buffett described how share prices do not always rationally reflect the value of a business. By comparing earnings per share (EPS) and share price changes over time, we can get a feel for how investor attitudes to a company have morphed over time. During the unfortunate three years of share price decline, National Grid actually saw its earnings per share (EPS) improve by 1.8% per year. Given the share price reaction, one might suspect that EPS is not a good guide to the business performance during the period (perhaps due to a one-off loss or gain). Alternatively, growth expectations may have been unreasonable in the past. Given that EPS is up and the share price is down, it seems clear the market is less excited about the business than it was. Having said that, if the EPS gains continue we'd expect the share price to improve, longer term. The company's earnings per share (over time) is depicted in the image below (click to see the exact numbers).LSE:NG. Earnings Per Share Growth March 23rd 2025 This free interactive report on National Grid's earnings, revenue and cash flow is a great place to start, if you want to investigate the stock further. What About Dividends? As well as measuring the share price return, investors should also consider the total shareholder return (TSR). The TSR is a return calculation that accounts for the value of cash dividends (assuming that any dividend received was reinvested) and the calculated value of any discounted capital raisings and spin-offs. Arguably, the TSR gives a more comprehensive picture of the return generated by a stock. We note that for National Grid the TSR over the last 3 years was 11%, which is better than the share price return mentioned above. This is largely a result of its dividend payments! A Different Perspective National Grid shareholders gained a total return of 6.4% during the year. But that return falls short of the market. It's probably a good sign that the company has an even better long term track record, having provided shareholders with an annual TSR of 8% over five years. It's quite possible the business continues to execute with prowess, even as the share price gains are slowing. While it is well worth considering the different impacts that market conditions can have on the share price, there are other factors that are even more important. Take risks, for example - National Grid has 4 warning signs (and 3 which shouldn't be ignored) we think you should know about. Story Continues Of course National Grid may not be the best stock to buy. So you may wish to see this freecollection of growth stocks. Please note, the market returns quoted in this article reflect the market weighted average returns of stocks that currently trade on British exchanges. Have feedback on this article? Concerned about the content?Get in touch with us directly. Alternatively, email editorial-team (at) simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. We provide commentary based on historical data and analyst forecasts only using an unbiased methodology and our articles are not intended to be financial advice. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. We aim to bring you long-term focused analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material. Simply Wall St has no position in any stocks mentioned. View Comments |
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| 17.03.25 13:25:21 | National Grid (NGG) Commits $100 Million to AI Startups for Smarter Energy Grids | |
| We recently published a list of 11 AI News Updates Investors Should Not Miss. In this article, we are going to take a look at where National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) stands against other AI news updates investors should not miss. Artificial intelligence is reshaping the job market in ways not seen or heard before. Right from creating new roles in AI development, data analysis, and related fields, it’s also accelerating the automation of routine tasks and leading to job displacement in certain sectors, necessitating workforce adaptation and reskilling. According to McKinsey Research, corporate use cases of AI could result in an additional $4.4 trillion in productivity gains over the long run. While AI has enormous long-term potential, its immediate benefits are uncertain. Nevertheless, 92% of businesses intend to boost their investments in AI over the next three years. A good chunk of the investment is going towards recruiting and poaching talent with advanced AI skills that could be of great benefit to the business. As businesses in almost every sector adapt their hiring processes to adopt the technology, data from job ads indicates that roughly one in four U.S. IT jobs listed are for workers with artificial intelligence expertise. Similarly, AI accounted for 36% of IT positions listed in January in the information sector, including many tech companies making significant investments in AI development and deployment. Businesses in the professional services and financial sectors, including banks and consulting firms, seek IT personnel with experience developing or utilizing AI models and algorithms. Open IT positions are becoming more and more AI-focused in sectors that comprise a smaller portion of the tech-hiring landscape. For instance, just a small percentage of healthcare job posts are tech-related, but the proportion of new tech positions in January that dealt with AI was almost double that of a few years prior. According to Thomas Vick, senior regional director at recruiting company Robert Half, employers are mostly seeking someone with expertise or experience integrating AI into existing positions. Between the end of last year and the release of ChatGPT in the fourth quarter of 2022, new AI-related jobs increased by 68%, while tech postings decreased by 27%, affirming how advanced technology is changing the employment landscape. Our Methodology For this article, we selected AI stocks by going through news articles, stock analysis, and press releases. These stocks are also popular among hedge funds in Q4 2024. Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 373.4% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 218 percentage points (see more details here). Story Continues National Grid (NGG) Commits $100 Million to AI Startups for Smarter Energy Grids An overhead view of electricity transmission towers, showing the scale and reach of the company's network. National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 17 National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) transmits and distributes electricity and gas. The company’s corporate venture capital and innovation arm, National Grid Partners, announced on March 12 a commitment to invest $100 million in artificial intelligence startups. The investments will mostly focus on startups advancing the future of energy. Additionally, the $100 million investment fund seeks to accelerate the development of an efficient, resilient, and dynamic grid that supports economic growth and helps ensure energy security. Amperon, a leading provider of AI-powered energy forecasting and analytics solutions, is one of the companies that has secured financing. The investment should accelerate Amperon’s plans to provide best-in-class AI-powered energy forecasting and market analytics to utilities, independent power producers, and energy market participants. “Amperon’s AI-driven approach to forecasting is a perfect fit with our vision for a smarter, more resilient grid – and this marks the inaugural investment from our new, $100 million commitment to AI solutions advancing our energy system. We believe Amperon will play a vital role in scaling innovation across utilities, and we see significant potential for their AI-powered solutions to enhance grid operations in both the US and UK,” said Raghuram Madabushi, Investment Director at National Grid Partners. Overall, NGG ranks 11th on our list of AI news updates investors should not miss. While we acknowledge the potential of NGG as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than NGG but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock. READ NEXT: 20 Best AI Stocks To Buy Now and 30 Best Stocks to Buy Now According to Billionaires Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. View Comments |
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