Squarepoint Ops LLC Acquires Shares of 12,207 Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX)

Squarepoint Ops LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 12,207 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $863,000.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position 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 worth $69,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC grew its position in shares of Southwest Gas by 94,500.0% during the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 946 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $67,000 after purchasing an additional 945 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd grew its position in shares of Southwest Gas by 40.1% during the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,013 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV grew its position in shares of Southwest Gas by 54.0% during the 4th quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,832 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $200,000 after purchasing an additional 993 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Southwest Gas during the 4th quarter worth $207,000. 92.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

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

Southwest Gas Price Performance

NYSE:SWX traded down $0.53 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $71.44. 292,847 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 363,536. The stock's 50-day moving average is $71.58 and its 200-day moving average is $73.20. The firm has a market cap of $5.14 billion, a PE ratio of 28.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $64.31 and a twelve month high of $80.29.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) last released 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. Southwest Gas had a net margin of 3.44% and a return on equity of 5.99%. The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.50 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.37 earnings per share. Southwest Gas's revenue was down 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.47%. Southwest Gas's payout ratio is 79.74%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on SWX. Bank of America raised shares of 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 note on Friday, May 23rd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Southwest Gas to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Southwest Gas from $79.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Southwest Gas from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Southwest Gas has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $75.00.

Southwest Gas Company 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.