Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) Shares Purchased by GAMMA Investing LLC

GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX - Free Report) by 12,738.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 62,394 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 61,908 shares during the quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC owned 0.09% of Southwest Gas worth $4,480,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Southwest Gas by 0.6% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,696,651 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $473,520,000 after acquiring an additional 38,710 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in shares of Southwest Gas by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,322,085 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $234,905,000 after purchasing an additional 105,549 shares during the period. Channing Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 1,270,072 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $89,807,000 after purchasing an additional 4,235 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,030,283 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $72,850,000 after purchasing an additional 27,407 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Southwest Gas by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 990,723 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $70,054,000 after purchasing an additional 12,913 shares during the last quarter. 92.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southwest Gas Price Performance

SWX traded up $0.46 during trading on Thursday, reaching $72.18. The company's stock had a trading volume of 42,292 shares, compared to its average volume of 365,391. The company has a market cap of $5.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.10, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.47. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $71.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.03. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.31 and a 1 year high of $80.29. 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 (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The utilities provider reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.04. Southwest Gas had a return on equity of 5.99% and a net margin of 3.44%. The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.50 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.37 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.03 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.44%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Southwest Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.74%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on SWX shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Southwest Gas from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 7th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Southwest Gas to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, May 9th. Bank of America upgraded Southwest Gas from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $69.00 to $74.00 in a research report on Friday, May 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced 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. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Southwest Gas presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $75.00.

Insider Transactions at Southwest Gas

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

About Southwest Gas

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.