Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Buys 681 Shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its stake in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) by 17.5% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 4,569 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 681 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.’s holdings in Southwest Gas were worth $337,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of SWX. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in Southwest Gas by 67.2% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 398 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 160 shares in the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position 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 worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. Waldron Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Gas during the third quarter valued at $40,000. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in Southwest Gas by 96.6% in the second 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 last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Southwest Gas in the second quarter worth about $49,000. 92.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southwest Gas Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE:SWX opened at $76.49 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.84, a PEG ratio of 4.07 and a beta of 0.38. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $57.55 and a 1-year high of $79.03. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $73.79 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.09 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.02. Southwest Gas had a net margin of 3.44% and a return on equity of 5.99%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.12 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.10 EPS. Southwest Gas’s quarterly revenue was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.13 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Gas Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.24%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Southwest Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 43,438 shares in the company, valued at $3,177,055.32. This represents a 1.74 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on SWX shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of 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 raised their price objective on shares of Southwest Gas from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note 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.