National Grid Share Discussion Threads

[simongn] 21/5/2015 23:04

I'm looking for 3% a month to grow my SIPP in time for me to retire at 55. ;-)

[deanforester] 21/5/2015 22:29

Can't say that I have been displeased with the capital growth in NG. Since Lattice demerged from BG Group in 2000, I've had a Total Return of 15.7% on my holding. The share price is now double what it was when LAT merged with NGG in 2002.

I have added twice, taken profit out 3 times and took up my rights in 2010.

What sort of a return would satisfy you?

[tonio] 21/5/2015 17:17

Jeez, I've had a large amount of NG in my portfolio for a while ( I've reached the stage when I can't remember). I can't say it's been 'dull' - the graph in the header shows an 80% gain in 5 years w/o reinvested dividends - not in the Apple or even the ARM category but I do faintly recall it was only bought as a dividend share.

[dr biotech] 21/5/2015 14:19

I have had a small amount of NG in my portfolio for as long as I can remember. Its less than 1% and just sits there performing nicely. Bit dull, but pays well. Just what a utility should do really.

[bountyhunter] 21/5/2015 11:13

Header updated with divi amount, timetable and links.

[bscuit] 21/5/2015 11:12

Improvement since GE poor?

[simongn] 21/5/2015 11:08

Ah . . . seems the difference is between "Adjusted results" and "Statutory Results"

Financial results for continuing operations

Adjusted results

Year ended 31 March 2015 2014 % change
Profit before tax (£m) 2,876 2,584 +11%

Statutory results

Year ended 31 March 2015 2014 % change
Profit before tax (£m) 2,628 2,748 -4%

[redartbmud] 21/5/2015 08:03

Yes, a safe hold. I have concerns about the debt levels going forward, but I can live with them for now.

[lord gnome] 21/5/2015 07:37

Nothing to scare the horses there Skinny. Onwards and upwards. I've held these for five years now and I see nothing to stop me holding for another five (if spared).

[hiddendepths] 21/5/2015 07:36

Looks solid enough. Happy to hold.

[skinny] 21/5/2015 07:04

Steve Holliday, Chief Executive, said: "National Grid delivered another successful year. Overall, our businesses achieved a strong operating performance and we developed new strategic growth opportunities in transmission and interconnection. We invested around £3.5bn in essential infrastructure during another year of strong network reliability, safety and resilience. Effective regulation continues to drive efficient investment. In the UK, for example, savings generated in the first two years of the RIIO price controls will reduce future customer bills by around £200m."

Good operational and strategic progress led by efficiencies and investment
UK regulated: Ongoing benefit from 2013 restructuring, improved efficiency and incentive performance
· RIIO incentive performance contributed 270bp (2013/14: 180bp) to UK Return on Equity with pre-determined additional allowances contributing a further 90bp (2013/14: 80bp)
· Capital investment of £1.8bn with regulated asset value up 2% to £25.4bn.

US regulated: Profits maintained, supported by additional revenues from existing rate plans
· Return on Equity 8.4% (2013: 9.0%) reflecting increased rate base and additional winter costs
· Record capital investment of $2.4bn; $0.9bn total (7% underlying) growth in rate base to $17.2bn
· Completed financial systems upgrade and now preparing for important rate filings in 2015/16

New business activities: Good strategic progress with new investments approved
· €1.4bn planned investments approved for Norway and Belgium interconnector projects
· London property joint venture agreed; first site transfer expected during 2015/16
· Continued progress developing multiple US transmission investment opportunities

Strong overall financial performance maintaining robust financial position
· Group Return on Equity 11.8% (2013/14: 11.4%); Value Added1 of £1.7bn or 44.7p per share

· Adj. operating profit, excl. timing, up 5% to £3,927m (2013/14: £3,731m) at constant currency
· Adj. EPS, excl. timing, up 10% to 59.6p (2013/14: 54.4p)
· Strong balance sheet and cash flows; sustained financial metrics consistent with A- credit rating
· Recommended final dividend of 28.16p/share (2013/14: 27.54p); full year dividend up 2.0% to 42.87p (2013/14: 42.03p), in line with inflation and policy

more....

[tonio] 18/5/2015 21:51

Why? He has no position in NG shares and writes the usual sort of taster article maybe to get you take more interest in fool's stuff. That's fine but I'd take such articles with a pinch of salt.

[mike24] 18/5/2015 21:24

see alan oscroft, comments fool.co.uk this pm

[neddo] 12/5/2015 11:44

like an effing yo yo,

[newbank] 12/5/2015 11:03

Over sold again this morning. Results next week will make the analysts realise this is a cash making (dividents) machine.

The share price should be priced well over £10/share. May take some time for markets to realise the potential of NG and in particular the future assest base of the company after the capex programme is complete. NG is not like another company in that by improving the system and in turn increasing the asset base the cost of this build will be charged in time to customers. The Industry is regulated but it is also allowed (naturally) to make a profit which in turn secures future investments, ie, if the public want security of supply then they have to pay for it.

[stevie blunder] 11/5/2015 15:52

The real problems will come later when we try to fulfill our 80% CO2 cuts by 2050.
The only plan to achieve this is to electrify space heating using heat pumps, electrify road transport with high capacity batteries and supply the whole lot by the grid. By 2050 GDP will double at a 2% growth rate. Even allowing for large efficiency gains and much better insulation of buildings, the Grid will have to provide 120 - 160 GW of dispatch-able, reliable zero carbon power, against an average of 40GW today of mostly FF derived power. (don't mention the peak surges on cold days in winter)

In this future world, fossil fuels can only be burned where the CO2 can be captured. There can be no gas or oil central heating allowed. Gas cookers and gas fires have to be outlawed.

And the Grid has to be reliable. If the entire civilian economy is electrified, a grid failure doesn't just mean the lights go out, but the heating and cooking goes too and your car can't run.

Believe it or not, this is the plan and it has been endorsed by all the major political parties.

I was at a public meeting last week in Glasgow called "Powering the Future - Lets Talk About It".

I asked the panel of energy experts and economists if it could be done, based of the figures above. Only the spokeswoman from the Nuclear industry seem optimistic, and she wouldn't commit herself. The chap from the wind energy company was not at all confident and the economist said basically it didn't matter as it was only a political promise!

I conclude public policy is predicated on a fairy story.

[pierre oreilly] 11/5/2015 15:35

Agreed with all that. The government has to stop its attempt at shoehorning massive long term investments with extreme political risk onto the private sector (at high cost, almost all going abroad). We may just have enough Nuclear expertise left in the UK to start up a new public sector Nuclear (fission) industry.


The only way 'any amount of windpower' can be handled is by having 55GW of dispatchable available capacity and all windfarms desynced - then it doesn't matter how much wind capacity there is. We could have many tens of billions worth of windmills doing nothing ... and possibly in the future will have.

[bountyhunter] 11/5/2015 11:25

21/05/2015 2014/15 preliminary results
04/06/2015 Ordinary shares go ex-dividend

For further details see the end of the header which is now updated.

[tonio] 11/5/2015 11:03

Ah well, Amber Rudd eh, windmills forever then.

[tonio] 11/5/2015 08:34

OK, I changed it to consensuses. Is there a consensus on that?

[skinny] 11/5/2015 08:28

Consensuses! :-)