Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) Receives $73.80 Average Price Target from Analysts

Shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the six brokerages that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $73.80.

Several brokerages have recently commented on SWX. Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $73.00 target price on shares of Southwest Gas in a report on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Southwest Gas in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Southwest Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Southwest Gas from $76.00 to $72.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its stake in Southwest Gas by 48.2% in the fourth 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 Southwest Gas by 37.5% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 789 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $56,000 after buying an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 206.2% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 845 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $60,000 after buying an additional 569 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its position in shares of Southwest Gas by 94,500.0% during the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 946 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after buying an additional 945 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd grew its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 40.1% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,013 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares during the period. 92.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Southwest Gas Price Performance

SWX stock opened at $77.26 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 business has a 50-day simple moving average of $72.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.59. The company has a market capitalization of $5.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.15, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.44. Southwest Gas has a 52-week low of $61.13 and a 52-week high of $80.29.

Southwest Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Southwest Gas’s dividend payout ratio is 100.00%.

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.