Vanguard Group Inc. Has $459.41 Million Holdings in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX)

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) by 0.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,251,952 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,802 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 10.13% of Southwest Gas worth $459,411,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in Southwest Gas by 3.4% in the 3rd quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 13,766 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $829,000 after buying an additional 450 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its stake in Southwest Gas by 519.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 782,898 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $47,295,000 after buying an additional 656,473 shares during the period. Mariner LLC increased its stake in Southwest Gas by 5.4% in the 3rd quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 9,860 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $596,000 after buying an additional 504 shares during the period. Federated Hermes Inc. increased its stake in Southwest Gas by 24.0% in the 3rd quarter. Federated Hermes Inc. now owns 8,370 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $506,000 after buying an additional 1,620 shares during the period. Finally, Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new position in Southwest Gas in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $551,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.77% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Gas Stock Performance

SWX stock opened at $73.83 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 1.04 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The company has a market capitalization of $5.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.65, a P/E/G ratio of 3.60 and a beta of 0.39. 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 $75.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $69.17.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $1.58 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.38 billion. Southwest Gas had a return on equity of 6.71% and a net margin of 3.56%. Southwest Gas’s quarterly revenue was down 1.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.69 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 3rd. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. Southwest Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 92.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 23,830 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,822,995. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.39% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on SWX. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Southwest Gas from $64.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Southwest Gas in a research report on Monday, May 13th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $77.00 target price for the company.

Southwest Gas Company Profile

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.