Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Acquires 27,407 Shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX - Free Report) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,030,283 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 27,407 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned approximately 1.44% of Southwest Gas worth $72,850,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on SWX shares. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Southwest Gas in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a "hold" rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Southwest Gas to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Southwest Gas from $76.00 to $72.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $74.00.

Southwest Gas Stock Down 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:SWX traded down $0.73 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $73.33. 95,132 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 397,142. The company has a market cap of $5.27 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.57, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.48. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $72.75 and its 200-day simple moving average is $73.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $64.31 and a one year high of $80.29.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 5.99% and a net margin of 3.44%. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.35 billion. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.03 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.38%. Southwest Gas's payout ratio is 90.18%.

Insider Transactions at Southwest Gas

In other Southwest Gas news, major shareholder Carl C. Icahn sold 2,100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.60, for a total value of $156,660,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,532,604 shares of the company's stock, valued at $561,932,258.40. This represents a 21.80 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.