London, Feb 15, 2026, 11:41 GMT — Market closed.
- SSE last closed up 0.99% at 2,641p, after touching a year high of 2,645p
- Fitch affirmed SSE’s BBB+ rating with a stable outlook on Friday
- Investors look to March 3 (network price control decision) and May 28 (full-year results)
SSE Plc (SSE.L) shares go into the new week near a 52-week high after closing on Friday at 2,641 pence, up 26 pence or 0.99%. The stock traded between 2,579p and 2,645p, with about 7.5 million shares changing hands. (Hargreaves Lansdown)
The timing matters because funding is back on the front page for UK utilities. Fitch Ratings affirmed SSE’s long-term issuer rating at BBB+ and kept the outlook stable, a move that can feed into how investors think about borrowing costs as capex ramps. (Fitch Ratings)
Rate bets are doing the rest of the work. Britain’s FTSE 100 added 0.4% on Friday and notched a third straight weekly gain, while markets were pricing in roughly a 63% chance of a quarter-point Bank of England cut in March, Reuters reported. (Reuters)
The Bank has not signed up to that story. BoE Chief Economist Huw Pill said rates were “a little bit too low” and put underlying inflation closer to 2.5% than the bank’s 2% target, after last week’s 5-4 vote to hold Bank Rate at 3.75%. (Reuters)
Company guidance, for now, is set. In a Feb. 4 trading statement, SSE said it expects 2025/26 adjusted earnings per share of 144–152 pence and flagged “mixed weather conditions” as a swing factor for the rest of the year. It said networks investment rose 64% year-on-year in the first nine months to about £1.8 billion and renewables output was 7% higher; CFO Barry O’Regan said SSE’s focus was “accelerating investment”. (SSE)
Next dates are already boxed off in diaries. SSE’s calendar lists an April 2 closed-period notice and preliminary results for the year ended March 31 on May 28, giving investors clear points to test whether the earnings range and spending pace still hold. (SSE)
Peers have been firm too, which keeps the tape constructive. United Utilities rose 1.34% on Friday to a 52-week high, underscoring how quickly money can rotate into regulated cashflows when rate expectations turn. (MarketWatch)
But the setup cuts both ways. If BoE officials keep pushing back and bond yields rise, utilities can lose support fast; SSE also carries execution risk on major grid projects and any miss in wind and hydro output can show up quickly in trading updates.
When London reopens on Monday, the first test is simple: does the yield trade hold after Pill’s remarks, or does the market fade it. A second, more company-specific marker comes on March 3, the deadline SSE previously flagged around its decision on the transmission price control package.
