MQS Management LLC Takes Position in Southwest Gas Corporation (NYSE:SWX)

MQS Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Gas Corporation (NYSE:SWX - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 7,045 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $506,000.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 1,055.0% during the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 462 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 422 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 1,001.8% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 606 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 551 shares during the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. raised its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 41.2% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 833 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $60,000 after acquiring an additional 243 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 78.8% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 869 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 383 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 94,500.0% during the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 946 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 945 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.77% of the company's stock.

Southwest Gas Stock Up 0.0%

NYSE:SWX traded up $0.03 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $77.03. The company had a trading volume of 558,442 shares, compared to its average volume of 383,912. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The firm has a market cap of $5.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.77, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.48. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $72.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $73.17. Southwest Gas Corporation has a twelve month low of $64.31 and a twelve month high of $80.29.

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, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.50 billion. Southwest Gas had a net margin of 4.66% and a return on equity of 6.76%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.37 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Southwest Gas Corporation will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Southwest Gas's payout ratio is 79.74%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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