Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX) SVP Julie Williams Sells 2,500 Shares of Stock

Key Points

• Southwest Gas SVP Julie Williams sold 2,500 shares at an average price of $81.81, generating $204,525. After the sale, she retained 26,450 shares, an 8.64% reduction in her ownership.
• SWX shares rose 0.3% to $82.16, while the company reported quarterly EPS of $0.45, matching estimates. However, revenue declined 9.6% year over year to $358.15 million, below analyst expectations.
• Southwest Gas pays a quarterly dividend of $0.645 per share, equivalent to a 3.1% yield. Analysts maintain a generally positive view, with a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $101.83.

Southwest Gas Corporation (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) SVP Julie Williams sold 2,500 shares of Southwest Gas stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.81, for a total transaction of $204,525.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 26,450 shares in the company, valued at $2,163,874.50. This trade represents a 8.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Southwest Gas Stock Up 0.3%

SWX traded up $0.28 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $82.16. 660,177 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 584,893. Southwest Gas Corporation has a 1-year low of $76.74 and a 1-year high of $94.46. The stock's 50-day moving average is $89.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $89.12. The stock has a market cap of $5.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.73, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.99, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.45. Southwest Gas had a net margin of 31.85% and a return on equity of 6.79%. The firm had revenue of $358.15 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $416.20 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.18) EPS. The company's revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Southwest Gas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.170-4.320 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Southwest Gas Corporation will post 4.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 1st. Investors of record on Monday, August 17th were issued a dividend of $0.6450 per share. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 17th. Southwest Gas's dividend payout ratio is presently 33.68%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southwest Gas

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SWX. QRG Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in Southwest Gas in the second quarter valued at approximately $206,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 23.6% during the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 7,685 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $682,000 after acquiring an additional 1,468 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 80.8% during the 2nd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 5,879 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $521,000 after acquiring an additional 2,628 shares during the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Gas during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $172,000. Finally, NewEdge Advisors LLC raised its stake in Southwest Gas by 19.7% in the 2nd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 4,051 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $359,000 after acquiring an additional 667 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.77% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on SWX shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded Southwest Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. Mizuho set a $103.00 price objective on Southwest Gas in a research note on Wednesday, August 5th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Southwest Gas from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Southwest Gas from a "buy (b+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Monday, September 14th. Finally, Scotiabank started coverage on shares of Southwest Gas in a report on Tuesday. They set a "sector outperform" rating and a $95.00 target price on the stock. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $101.83.

About Southwest Gas

Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc is a regulated energy company that provides natural gas distribution services through its subsidiary, Southwest Gas Corporation. The utility delivers natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers, primarily in Arizona, Nevada and portions of California, serving communities across the desert Southwest.

The company's utility operations include the acquisition, transportation and distribution of natural gas through a network of pipelines and related infrastructure.

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