Cerity Partners LLC Grows Holdings in Southwest Gas Corporation (NYSE:SWX)

Cerity Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Southwest Gas Corporation (NYSE:SWX - Free Report) by 789.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,189 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 24,133 shares during the quarter. Cerity Partners LLC's holdings in Southwest Gas were worth $1,952,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in Southwest Gas by 1,055.0% in the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 462 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 422 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 1,001.8% in the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 606 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 551 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 41.2% in the 1st quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 833 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 78.8% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 869 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 383 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 40.1% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,013 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $72,000 after acquiring an additional 290 shares during the last quarter. 92.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southwest Gas Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NYSE:SWX traded up $0.77 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $79.56. The company had a trading volume of 405,851 shares, compared to its average volume of 384,964. Southwest Gas Corporation has a 12 month low of $64.31 and a 12 month high of $80.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.79, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock has a market cap of $5.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.58, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $72.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $73.26.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The utilities provider reported $1.65 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.04. Southwest Gas had a return on equity of 6.76% and a net margin of 4.66%. The company had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.37 EPS. Southwest Gas's revenue for the quarter was down 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Southwest Gas Corporation 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. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Southwest Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.74%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on SWX. Jefferies Financial Group raised Southwest Gas from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $74.00 to $82.00 in a report on Tuesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Southwest Gas from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. Bank of America upgraded Southwest Gas from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $74.00 in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Southwest Gas to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Southwest Gas from $79.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Southwest Gas presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $77.25.

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.