Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) Shares Sold by New York State Common Retirement Fund

New York State Common Retirement Fund decreased its position in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) by 8.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 272,434 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 24,758 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Southwest Gas were worth $17,259,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 56.1% in the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 484 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 174 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 16.8% in the third quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 2,571 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $155,000 after buying an additional 369 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP lifted its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 520.4% in the fourth quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 3,071 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $195,000 after buying an additional 2,576 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Gas during the third quarter worth $219,000. Finally, Cable Hill Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Gas during the third quarter worth $230,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.77% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Separately, Citigroup boosted their target price on Southwest Gas from $64.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th.

Southwest Gas Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of Southwest Gas stock opened at $75.00 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $71.54 and its 200-day moving average is $64.38. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.37 billion, a PE ratio of 35.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.62 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $53.79 and a 12-month high of $76.75.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $1.37 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.27 billion. Southwest Gas had a return on equity of 7.28% and a net margin of 2.78%. Equities analysts anticipate that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. Southwest Gas’s payout ratio is 116.98%.

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.