Intech Investment Management LLC Buys Shares of 5,109 Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX)

Intech Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 5,109 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $360,000.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Southwest Gas by 154.8% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 428 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in shares of Southwest Gas by 96.6% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 574 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 282 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Gas in the 2nd quarter worth $49,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Southwest Gas in the 2nd quarter worth $72,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in Southwest Gas by 461.9% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,371 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $87,000 after purchasing an additional 1,127 shares in the last quarter. 92.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southwest Gas

In other news, CFO Robert J. Stefani sold 767 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.14, for a total value of $56,098.38. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly 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 link. 0.39% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Southwest Gas Trading Up 1.0 %

Southwest Gas stock opened at $74.52 on Friday. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $56.17 and a 1 year high of $78.46. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $72.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $73.46. 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 has a market cap of $5.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.91, a PEG ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 0.38.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.48 by ($0.17). Southwest Gas had a net margin of 3.44% and a return on equity of 6.18%. The company had revenue of $1.18 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.20 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.47 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.2 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Southwest Gas’s dividend payout ratio is presently 92.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Southwest Gas from $78.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Southwest Gas from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday.

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.