Share prices of United Utilities and Severn Trent show investors seem keen to throw capital at the right firms
Thames Water, with occasional cameos by ugly little siblings Southern Water and South East Water, grabs most of the attention in the sector for obvious reasons. So it’s easy to overlook what’s happening further north. Short answer: the new era of higher bills and higher spending on water infrastructure will feel splendid if you’re United Utilities, licence-holder in north-west England, or Severn Trent, operating in the Midlands.
The former’s share price surged 11% on Thursday, the sort of thing that shouldn’t happen at a utility where success is meant to be defined in terms of dull predictability. And it’s definitely unusual to see a one-day valuation jump of that size when the company is issuing £800m-worth of new shares. Indeed, there was a mini-stampede for UU’s equity after Australia’s sovereign wealth fund, Future Fund, and the global infrastructure investor Atlas grabbed half the allocation in the placing as “cornerstone” investors.
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Share prices of United Utilities and Severn Trent show investors seem keen to throw capital at the right firmsThames Water, with occasional cameos by ugly little siblings Southern Water and South East Water, grabs mos...
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