Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) Shares Acquired by Tower Research Capital LLC TRC

Tower Research Capital LLC TRC raised its stake in shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) by 410.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 10,653 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 8,565 shares during the period. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC’s holdings in Southwest Gas were worth $753,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 16,650 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,177,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in Southwest Gas by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 8,979 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $635,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in Southwest Gas by 18.8% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 937 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 15,766 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,115,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, Clear Creek Financial Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Clear Creek Financial Management LLC now owns 3,427 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $242,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.77% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Gas Stock Performance

Southwest Gas stock opened at $72.54 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $64.31 and a one year high of $80.29. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $73.17 and its 200 day moving average price is $73.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.21 billion, a PE ratio of 29.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.50.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.18. Southwest Gas had a net margin of 3.44% and a return on equity of 5.99%. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.35 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Southwest Gas’s payout ratio is 90.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Southwest Gas from $76.00 to $72.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Southwest Gas in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Southwest Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Southwest Gas news, major shareholder Carl C. Icahn sold 2,100,000 shares of Southwest Gas stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.60, for a total transaction of $156,660,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 7,532,604 shares in the company, valued at $561,932,258.40. The trade was a 21.80 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

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.