National Grid Share Discussion Threads

[pierre oreilly] 19/4/2018 10:31

Just to answer the couple of question marks (otherwise i wouldn't have continued), i got my reords out to clarify. Sold 50% 26/5/17 @ 10.10, and a trade i had forgotten about, bought some back (about 10% of current holding) 4/1/18 @ 8.55. Sold due to rebalancing and prospect of higher interest rates, bought back purely due to being quite a bit less than i sold at (and even less now). I'm a long termer, very long termer and i too aren't concerned about day to day movements.

I didn't qualify for the shares giveaway at the float, but bought it the first day they were listed and have held since.

[utyinv] 19/4/2018 10:08

My posting style hasn’t changed Pierre, I am positive when there is reason to be and critical when there is little proactive strategy.

You said you sold a few months ago and may buy back some at these low levels. Apart from a a day or so a few weeks ago where NG reach £8.35 they have been lower than current price for nearly six months??

I accept your argument about market and sector but NG hasn’t in my opinion faired as well as other utilities. Speak to the Directors they will admit that NG hasn’t faired as well in the US as other utilities.??

Then there is the U.K. where the likes of SSE who should be hit hard by the Gov and OFGEM price cap but invariably has faired much better despite logic. They also don’t have a US presence like NG to protect against the nasty Marx Bros ambition plans.
NG has already made it easy for the SO role to be Nationalised by separating out the SO and TO roles ( project to complete by March 2019). Also, bearing in mind the SO role doesn’t bring in much revenue ie, £70-£90m as apposed to the total revenue of £2500m (2.5 billion but I choose to use the same base units to draw clear comparisons).

So if Market Sector justifies NG being so low why then despite all the positives about NG and the perilous negatives for SSE has NG fallen by 30% from its high and SSE fallen by 17% based on today’s prices?

So in all honesty I am not whinging or being too critical, just surprised that investors are complacent on the Company Directors performance.

I wish to see NG achieve its ambition of being the world best Utility.
If you support a sporting team with passion and despite its pedigree is falling down the league table would you not question the management strategy or just accept whatever is done despite the management receiving the same remuneration benefits including share options and bonuses for supposedly delivering performance?

I know you are close to NG, we both are but do not confuse Critism with any sinister motive. I have holdings in other Companies too but nothing will give me greater satisfaction than to see NG back to where it should be £12+.

I am not fussed if the share price falls because I like others are in for the long term and you never crystalise a loss until you sell but in my case, any share I sell would have to be much much lower before that occurs. As you would remember 37.5p .... ring any bells?

[willoicc] 19/4/2018 09:51

I thought he just did that.

[pierre oreilly] 19/4/2018 09:08

But what is the value of 'being close to the business and knowing it very well' (as i do in fact) if you sit back and don't foresee a big drop in the share price? If you take out the market movement for this sector, there isn't a great loss in ng. - it's substantiually a market move.

It doesn't make sense to me you not selling while you now view the prospects so poorly and where until recently you viewed them as very positive. Jeeze, what would make you sell if those factors don't?

Since you ask, I sold half my holding a few months ago because of rising interest rates and the fact that it was very large and out of balance with my other shareholdings. That was my 1st and only sale since ng. shares came into being decades ago. I may buy some back at these lower levels since the (market, sector and ng.) fall looks well overdone to me.

Can you explain why your posting style has changed so much recently?

[pierre oreilly] 19/4/2018 08:21

Uty, you used to be a decent ng poster until recently, bringing your ng experience to make posts with substance. I find your whinging and whining posts on the minutiae recently, since I suspect you sold, disappointing and a waste of space.

[utyinv] 19/4/2018 00:27

NG in the US tanked, I expect a share price fall of 7p before it may recover a little.

No real sign that the highs of last year will be visited any time soon and as mentioned by others, JP hasn’t given the ‘City’ reason to be upbeat about NG.

[jonnycash1] 18/4/2018 20:13

It hasn't actually broken trend yet, the price action is squashed right up against the top of the long term trend line (which is downward). Usually precedes a break-out in the end, one way or another and I don't see the price collapsing right now. Within a week or so you should see it push up to 835 quite quickly and start gaining some momentum. Tis all it is, to be sure to be sure.

[newbank] 18/4/2018 17:10

Yesterdays rise and todays rise just about cancels out Mondays fall. So with the FTSE rising nicely, SSE rising, NG performance look poor in comparison. Saving grace is inflation falling.

However, it will be interesting to see how the share price goes as we get closer to results and to hear the message of how NG is doing and what if anything JP and his Board are contemplating in order to get this share price back to its highs of last year.

Afterall, if I recall JP justified selling 61% of the Gas Distn Business because he said that they wanted to concentrate on a business that would deliver greater returns for shareholders. I think a year should give us an indication of how that strategy has developed.

[jonnycash1] 18/4/2018 11:41

Who remembers the happy Days theme tune? Sunday...Monday...

[utyinv] 17/4/2018 08:56

Falling again! It’s obvious the ‘City’ doesn’t have any confidence in the Company, how it’s being run and ultimately the CEO.

[tim 3] 16/4/2018 16:11

I agree while I am not a particularly big fan of TM I do give her respect for what she is doing.Sorting out Brexit is always going to be a pretty thankless task with flak from both sides but she does seem to have the common sense to get something reasonably acceptable to all sides sorted out .

[utyinv] 16/4/2018 15:53

Bounty,

makes me laugh, Corbyn and Sturgeon are quick to criticise TM, where they criticise for not doing something in Syria and when the Gov do do something they criticise them for doing so.
Same applies to Brexit.
Corbyn and Sturgeon aren’t interested in what’s better for the people of Syria or in the case of Brexit the U.K. economy or what’s best for the British people. They (Corbyn and Sturgeon) are just hell bent on trying to disrupt the Government from governing. Nothing the Government or TM does will gain approval from these self interested politicians whose sole purpose is to unseat the Government irrespective of who gets hurt in the process.
If there is any justice in this world (wishful thinking), I would love to see Corbyn and Sturgeon being hammered at the next election confining them to history books and opening the door to a more moderate Labour Leader like David Miliband. I don’t particularly think TM is a great PM but anything is better than Corbyn and Sturgeon.

[bountyhunter] 16/4/2018 14:53

as an aside FTSE and DOW going in opposite directions since the US open today;
...is May perceived to be in potential trouble cf Trump?

[wskill] 16/4/2018 13:54

Do like a bit of capital gain but mainly here for income which for me the board has delivered ,still at a loss here after averaging down but my average buying price is within sight at £8.93.

I will try and get my average price down some more will wait for days when the Marks brothers are beating the drum again about utilities.

[utyinv] 16/4/2018 11:22

Same old same old, here was me hoping for a gradual rise up to results day but it continues to fall.
We are well overdue for some good news IMO.

[action] 13/4/2018 17:58

Is it conspiracy Theory.. Lol; he only being seen 3 times year so mm can do whatever they want.I like S32 which is Australian miners and share price is very dynamic in its move Up or Down.

[utyinv] 13/4/2018 10:16

Newbank/Action,

Following on from other’s posts:

At time of posting NG down 6p SSE up 7p. So SSE down 18.5% from highs whilst NG is down 29.7% from highs.

As others have noted:
What excuse will they give us?

Proxy bonds? That affects other Utilities like SSE. Nationalisation? That would affect SSE more, as they came out of the US many years ago to concentrate on the UK business and have all their eggs in one basket. Maybe Gov Price Caps? SSE one of the big six will be hit most as that is what the Cap is focused on, Consumer bills.

Poor weather maybe? Surely that increases demand, hence more revenue for NG.

Oh dear, oh dear, we are running out of excuses LOL

[newbank] 13/4/2018 09:14

Action,

Yes only to be expected. JP is already making excuses for not hitting expected targets.

He has been in charge since Aug 2016, Steve Holliday though handing over the reins in April 2016, was around for a few months of transition.

NG has lost £11.63 Billion of Market value (based on the current share price) under his leadership.

I had high hopes that JP would carry on where Steve Holliday left off, building market value, delivering shareholder value and planning to mitigate against negatives in the market, but unfortunately I was, like others , very wrong.

JP only surfaces three times a year to deliver Interims, Finals and attend the AGM. Have any of you been to the AGM or viewed the AGM on the web? You have a Chairman Sir Peter Gershon who dictates what can be asked and what cannot be asked and frowns on investors asking questions about the share price. When people do slip in a question about poor performance the reply is always a very poor excuse and quickly shut down.

At results, watch Pettigrew carefully. At questions rather than stand up and confidently invite questions from the City analysts like Steve Holliday used to, Pettigrew sits behind a desk (usually with arms folded) answering painfully the questions asked. He doesn't look comfortable at all and more importantly, doesn't instil confidence. One has to ask is he the right man for the Job?

Just an observation, as some would say.

[action] 13/4/2018 08:09

Going down again. Very surprising.

[gutterhead] 12/4/2018 19:43

Newbank

Good logic and completely agree. Jam tomorrow promises never delivers as another excuse occurs.
There are always freak weather occurrences in the us FFS

He won’t be able to continue the excuses and promises for much longer

GH

[utyinv] 12/4/2018 17:08

Newbank,

I see that SSE has climbed today whilst NG has fallen again.

As you have intimated it’s probably down to the US investors not liking what is being published.

[utyinv] 12/4/2018 17:05

Wskill,

Par for the course IMV.

IMO Pettigrew doesn’t deserve a bonus for failing to deliver.

Would you expect to get a bonus on top of a fantastic salary if your business lost £11.3 Billion in a year?

[newbank] 12/4/2018 16:58

Looks like the Yanks can see what's being offered. They don't like the news too.

Jonnycash1,

Like a few on this bb, we have been involved with the NG business both here and in the US. We have always had to cope with weather etc, but you build contingencies into your risk and then you charge accordingly. Steve Holliday never gave the excuse of poor returns for weather issues. Yes he did have to manage some severe storms in the US when he was at the helm, but always posted uplifting results.