Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) Stake Boosted by NBC Securities Inc.

NBC Securities Inc. increased its position in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX - Free Report) by 117,660.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,888 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,883 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc.'s holdings in Southwest Gas were worth $422,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 18.8% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 937 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $69,000 after buying an additional 148 shares during the last quarter. Spirit of America Management Corp NY raised its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 18.9% during the 4th quarter. Spirit of America Management Corp NY now owns 3,150 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $223,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Gas during the 4th quarter valued at about $207,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 27.5% during the 4th quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 5,487 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $388,000 after buying an additional 1,184 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers raised its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 216,942 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $15,340,000 after buying an additional 2,119 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.77% of the company's stock.

Southwest Gas Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of Southwest Gas stock traded down $0.47 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $71.01. 380,596 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 364,420. The firm has a market cap of $5.11 billion, a PE ratio of 28.63, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.48. The stock's fifty day moving average is $71.56 and its 200 day moving average is $73.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.31 and a 1 year high of $80.29.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The utilities provider reported $1.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.61 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $1.30 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.50 billion. Southwest Gas had a return on equity of 5.99% and a net margin of 3.44%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.37 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.49%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Southwest Gas's payout ratio is currently 79.74%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on SWX shares. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Southwest Gas to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Bank of America upgraded Southwest Gas from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $69.00 to $74.00 in a research note on Friday, May 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Southwest Gas from $79.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Southwest Gas from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $75.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southwest Gas

In other Southwest Gas news, major shareholder Carl C. Icahn sold 2,100,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The stock was 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 trade represents a 21.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.39% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.