Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC Boosts Stock Position in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX)

Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC grew its holdings in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) by 2.4% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 9,174 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 213 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC’s holdings in Southwest Gas were worth $645,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Gabelli Funds LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 1,223,021 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $93,109,000 after buying an additional 6,786 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,197,754 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $91,185,000 after acquiring an additional 27,500 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Southwest Gas by 24.4% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 1,059,348 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $67,110,000 after purchasing an additional 207,798 shares during the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its stake in Southwest Gas by 6.9% in the second quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 1,053,094 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $74,117,000 after purchasing an additional 68,254 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 9.4% during the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 985,566 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $69,370,000 after buying an additional 84,987 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.77% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Robert J. Stefani sold 767 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.14, for a total value of $56,098.38. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 43,438 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,177,055.32. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Gas Price Performance

Shares of SWX opened at $75.03 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.38 billion, a PE ratio of 28.10, a P/E/G ratio of 3.89 and a beta of 0.38. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $72.34 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.46. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $56.17 and a twelve month high of $78.46. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by ($0.17). The business had revenue of $1.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.20 billion. Southwest Gas had a net margin of 3.44% and a return on equity of 6.18%. Southwest Gas’s revenue was down 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.47 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.31%. Southwest Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 92.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective 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 increased their price target on Southwest Gas from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday.

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.