Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) Shares Bought by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) by 37.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 789 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the quarter. Blue Trust Inc.’s holdings in Southwest Gas were worth $56,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of SWX. State of Michigan Retirement System grew its position in shares of Southwest Gas by 2.1% in the first quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 14,729 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,121,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 75,442 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,743,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares during the period. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Gas in the first quarter worth about $658,000. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp increased its stake in Southwest Gas by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp now owns 52,514 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,998,000 after buying an additional 705 shares during the period. Finally, SageView Advisory Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Gas during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $601,000. 92.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southwest Gas Price Performance

NYSE SWX opened at $73.25 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $5.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.82 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 1.58 and a quick ratio of 1.58. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $73.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.55. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $56.84 and a fifty-two week high of $78.46.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.48 by ($0.17). The firm had revenue of $1.18 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. Southwest Gas had a return on equity of 6.18% and a net margin of 3.44%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.47 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Southwest Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 92.88%.

Insider Transactions at Southwest Gas

In other Southwest Gas news, CFO Robert J. Stefani sold 767 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.14, for a total value of $56,098.38. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 43,438 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,177,055.32. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SWX has been the subject of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Southwest Gas from $78.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Southwest Gas from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th.

Southwest Gas 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.