California State Teachers Retirement System Boosts Stake in Southwest Gas Corporation $SWX

Key Points

• California State Teachers Retirement System increased its Southwest Gas stake by 30.4% in the first quarter, bringing its holdings to 76,336 shares valued at approximately $6.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 92.77% of the company.
• Southwest Gas reported quarterly EPS of $0.45, in line with consensus, while revenue fell 9.6% year over year to $358.2 million. The company reaffirmed fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $4.17 to $4.32.
• The utility declared a quarterly dividend of $0.645 per share, equivalent to an annualized $2.58 payout and a 2.8% yield. Analysts maintain a consensus “Buy” rating with an average price target of $98.

California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas Corporation (NYSE:SWX - Free Report) by 30.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 76,336 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 17,811 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System owned approximately 0.11% of Southwest Gas worth $6,634,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Southwest Gas during the fourth quarter worth approximately $66,930,000. BROOKFIELD Corp ON grew its holdings in Southwest Gas by 106.9% in the first quarter. BROOKFIELD Corp ON now owns 699,626 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $60,797,000 after purchasing an additional 361,556 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in shares of Southwest Gas by 281.2% in the first quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 459,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $39,887,000 after buying an additional 338,600 shares in the last quarter. BROOKFIELD Corp ON purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Gas in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,052,000. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. raised its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 16.1% during the 4th quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 1,648,496 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $131,913,000 after buying an additional 228,496 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.77% of the company's stock.

Southwest Gas Price Performance

SWX stock opened at $90.62 on Thursday. Southwest Gas Corporation has a 1 year low of $75.75 and a 1 year high of $94.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.32. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.56 billion, a PE ratio of 13.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.57. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $89.66 and a 200-day simple moving average of $88.43.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.45. The firm had revenue of $358.15 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $416.20 million. Southwest Gas had a return on equity of 6.95% and a net margin of 19.95%.The firm's revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.18) earnings per share. Southwest Gas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.170-4.320 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Southwest Gas Corporation will post 4.27 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 17th will be paid a $0.645 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, August 17th. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Southwest Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.39%.

Trending Headlines about Southwest Gas

Here are the key news stories impacting Southwest Gas this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Full-year guidance reaffirmed: Southwest Gas maintained its 2026 continuing-operations EPS outlook of $4.17 to $4.32, broadly in line with the $4.22 consensus estimate. Southwest Gas second-quarter financial results
• Positive Sentiment: Great Basin expansion gains momentum: Binding commitments for the 2028 expansion reached approximately 1 billion cubic feet per day. Southwest Gas raised expected project capital investment to about $2.3 billion and estimated potential annual incremental margin of $270 million to $300 million once operational.
• Positive Sentiment: Regulatory developments improved the outlook: A California regulatory decision is expected to provide approximately $40 million in incremental annual revenue, while the final decision in a broader California rate case is anticipated in August. The company also reported an 8.1% trailing-12-month utility return on equity.
• Neutral Sentiment: Quarterly profitability improved year over year: Net income attributable to Southwest Gas was $42.1 million, versus a $40.2 million loss in the prior-year quarter. Reported EPS was $0.45, meeting some consensus estimates, though other estimates placed expectations at $0.47.
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue and earnings comparisons were weak: Quarterly operating revenue fell 9.6% year over year to $358.2 million. Zacks characterized EPS as a miss against its $0.47 estimate, and reported EPS declined from $0.53 a year earlier under that comparison, despite lower costs helping operating income.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Southwest Gas from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $100.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. UBS Group set a $100.00 price target on shares of Southwest Gas in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Southwest Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Sunday, July 12th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (a-)" rating on shares of Southwest Gas in a report on Monday. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Southwest Gas from $99.00 to $106.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $98.00.

Southwest Gas Profile

Southwest Gas Corporation NYSE: SWX is a publicly traded natural gas utility that provides regulated gas distribution services to residential, commercial, industrial and electric generation customers. The company's core activities include the transportation, distribution and sale of natural gas through an extensive network of pipelines, service lines and metering facilities. Southwest Gas also offers related services such as system maintenance, pipeline safety inspections, emergency response and line extensions to support customer growth and ensure reliable gas delivery.

Founded in 1931 in southern Nevada, Southwest Gas has grown through strategic acquisitions and organic expansion to become one of the nation's larger natural gas utilities by customer count.

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