Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC Purchases 1,280 Shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX)

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) by 19.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,731 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 1,280 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC’s holdings in Southwest Gas were worth $490,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in Southwest Gas by 2.9% in the third quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 10,585 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $639,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 56.1% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 484 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. California Public Employees Retirement System increased its holdings in Southwest Gas by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System now owns 346,396 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $20,926,000 after acquiring an additional 10,596 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in Southwest Gas during the third quarter valued at $219,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Southwest Gas by 10.7% during the 3rd quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 12,633 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $763,000 after acquiring an additional 1,224 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.77% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SWX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Southwest Gas in a research note on Monday, May 13th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $77.00 price target for the company. Citigroup lifted their price target on Southwest Gas from $64.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th.

Insider Transactions at Southwest Gas

In other Southwest Gas news, insider Justin L. Brown sold 2,625 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.50, for a total transaction of $200,812.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 23,830 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,822,995. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Gas Stock Down 0.3 %

SWX stock opened at $76.19 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $56.17 and a 12 month high of $78.46. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $74.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.78. The company has a market cap of $5.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.54, a PEG ratio of 3.73 and a beta of 0.36.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.70 by ($0.33). Southwest Gas had a return on equity of 6.71% and a net margin of 3.56%. The business had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.38 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.69 EPS. Southwest Gas’s revenue was down 1.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be paid a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.26%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. Southwest Gas’s payout ratio is presently 92.88%.

About Southwest Gas

Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc, through its subsidiaries, distributes and transports natural gas in Arizona, Nevada, and California. The company operates through Natural Gas Distribution, Utility Infrastructure Services, and Pipeline and Storage segments. It also provides trenching, installation, and replacement of underground pipes, as well as maintenance services for energy distribution systems.