New York State Teachers Retirement System Lowers Stock Position in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX)

New York State Teachers Retirement System reduced its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) by 5.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 58,897 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 3,100 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System owned about 0.08% of Southwest Gas worth $4,165,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in SWX. Waldron Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Southwest Gas in the third quarter valued at $40,000. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in shares of Southwest Gas by 48.2% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 590 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in shares of Southwest Gas by 37.5% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 789 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $56,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Southwest Gas by 206.2% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 845 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 569 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV increased its holdings in Southwest Gas by 25.4% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,839 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $136,000 after acquiring an additional 373 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.77% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Gas Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SWX opened at $77.00 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The company has a market cap of $5.52 billion, a PE ratio of 31.05, a P/E/G ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.44. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $72.81 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.47. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $60.88 and a fifty-two week high of $80.29.

Southwest Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Southwest Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 100.00%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on SWX shares. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Southwest Gas in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a “hold” rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Southwest Gas from $76.00 to $72.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $73.00 target price on shares of Southwest Gas in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Southwest Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $73.80.

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.