Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Has $1.69 Million Holdings in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc grew its position in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) by 23.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 23,987 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,605 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc’s holdings in Southwest Gas were worth $1,688,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its position in Southwest Gas by 96.6% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 574 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 282 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Southwest Gas during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $49,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Southwest Gas during the second quarter valued at $72,000. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 461.9% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,371 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $87,000 after purchasing an additional 1,127 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.77% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Gas Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SWX opened at $74.52 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.58, a current ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The company has a market capitalization of $5.34 billion, a PE ratio of 27.91, a P/E/G ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 0.38. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $72.36 and a 200 day simple moving average of $73.46. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $56.17 and a twelve month high of $78.46.

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

Southwest Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Southwest Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 92.88%.

Insider Activity

In other Southwest Gas news, CFO Robert J. Stefani sold 767 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.14, for a total value of $56,098.38. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 43,438 shares in the company, valued at $3,177,055.32. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Southwest Gas from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Southwest Gas from $78.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, August 15th.

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.