SG Americas Securities LLC Cuts Stake in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX)

SG Americas Securities LLC trimmed its stake in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX - Free Report) by 97.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,656 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 127,496 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in Southwest Gas were worth $232,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 10,117,342 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $631,828,000 after acquiring an additional 436,206 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,770,373 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $472,233,000 after acquiring an additional 114,397 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 3.1% in the 1st quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,277,553 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $142,233,000 after acquiring an additional 67,936 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,324,858 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $82,737,000 after acquiring an additional 70,444 shares during the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 975,822 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $58,949,000 after acquiring an additional 28,595 shares during the last quarter. 92.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southwest Gas Trading Down 0.2 %

SWX stock traded down $0.18 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $72.85. 780,838 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 469,040. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.36, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.36. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.51 and a 200-day simple moving average of $63.32. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a 12-month low of $53.79 and a 12-month high of $76.75.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $1.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.27 billion. Southwest Gas had a net margin of 2.78% and a return on equity of 7.28%. On average, equities research analysts predict that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. Southwest Gas's payout ratio is 116.98%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Southwest Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 27th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Southwest Gas from $64.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th.

About Southwest Gas

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.