Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) Shares Bought by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX - Free Report) by 30.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 166,164 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 38,510 shares during the quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned about 0.23% of Southwest Gas worth $11,749,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of SWX. Zimmer Partners LP raised its position in Southwest Gas by 884.4% during the 4th quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 910,615 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $64,390,000 after buying an additional 818,115 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Southwest Gas in the fourth quarter valued at about $51,011,000. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. boosted its holdings in Southwest Gas by 111.8% in the 4th quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 900,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $63,639,000 after purchasing an additional 475,000 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Southwest Gas by 83.3% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 505,555 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $35,748,000 after purchasing an additional 229,739 shares during the period. Finally, Tudor Investment Corp ET AL raised its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 328.1% during the 4th quarter. Tudor Investment Corp ET AL now owns 223,746 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $15,821,000 after buying an additional 171,478 shares in the last quarter. 92.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southwest Gas Price Performance

Shares of SWX stock traded down $1.70 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $71.98. The stock had a trading volume of 448,047 shares, compared to its average volume of 363,194. The company has a market cap of $5.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.02, 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 12-month low of $64.31 and a 12-month high of $80.29. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $71.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $73.24.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 12th. The utilities provider reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.50 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.37 EPS. The firm's revenue was down 18.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.45%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Southwest Gas's payout ratio is currently 79.74%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on SWX shares. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Southwest Gas to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, May 9th. Bank of America raised shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Southwest Gas from $79.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Southwest Gas from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 13th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Southwest Gas presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $75.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southwest Gas

In other news, major shareholder Carl C. Icahn sold 2,100,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the insider now directly owns 7,532,604 shares in the company, valued at $561,932,258.40. This represents a 21.80% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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.