Southwest Gas Corporation (NYSE:SWX) Receives Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Southwest Gas has a “Moderate Buy” consensus among six analysts, with five buy ratings and one hold. The average 12-month price target is $103.20, versus a recent share price of $85.47.
• The company’s latest quarter met earnings expectations at $0.45 per share, but revenue fell 9.6% year over year to $358.15 million, below analyst estimates of $416.20 million.
• Southwest Gas pays a quarterly dividend of $0.645 per share, equivalent to $2.58 annually and a 3.0% yield. Institutional investors own 92.77% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Gas Corporation (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $103.20.

A number of analysts have issued reports on SWX shares. Mizuho set a $103.00 price target on Southwest Gas in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Wall Street Zen lowered Southwest Gas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Weiss Ratings cut Southwest Gas from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Southwest Gas from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th.

Institutional Trading of Southwest Gas

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 10,837 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $867,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Southwest Gas by 8.5% during the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,960 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $174,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. grew its holdings in Southwest Gas by 1.7% during the first quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 11,116 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $966,000 after acquiring an additional 182 shares during the period. State of Michigan Retirement System raised its position in Southwest Gas by 1.3% in the first quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 15,429 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,341,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in Southwest Gas by 0.5% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 41,205 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,581,000 after acquiring an additional 202 shares in the last quarter. 92.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southwest Gas Stock Down 1.2%

Southwest Gas stock traded down $1.03 during trading on Friday, reaching $85.47. The stock had a trading volume of 112,762 shares, compared to its average volume of 561,009. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83. Southwest Gas has a 52-week low of $76.74 and a 52-week high of $94.46. The stock has a market cap of $6.19 billion, a PE ratio of 11.16, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 0.57. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $90.29 and a 200 day moving average price of $89.37.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.45 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45. The business had revenue of $358.15 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $416.20 million. Southwest Gas had a net margin of 31.85% and a return on equity of 6.79%. The company's revenue was down 9.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned ($0.18) EPS. Southwest Gas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.170-4.320 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Southwest Gas will post 4.26 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 17th were given a dividend of $0.645 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Southwest Gas's payout ratio is 33.68%.

About Southwest Gas

Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc is a regulated energy company that provides natural gas distribution services through its subsidiary, Southwest Gas Corporation. The utility delivers natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers, primarily in Arizona, Nevada and portions of California, serving communities across the desert Southwest.

The company's utility operations include the acquisition, transportation and distribution of natural gas through a network of pipelines and related infrastructure.

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