International Assets Investment Management LLC Acquires 53,498 Shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX)

International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX - Free Report) by 9,907.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 54,038 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 53,498 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.08% of Southwest Gas worth $3,423,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of SWX. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Southwest Gas by 11.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,646,936 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $520,388,000 after buying an additional 690,696 shares during the period. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Southwest Gas by 519.3% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 782,898 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $47,295,000 after buying an additional 656,473 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Southwest Gas in the 4th quarter valued at $39,176,000. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in Southwest Gas by 146.8% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 882,058 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $54,582,000 after buying an additional 524,625 shares during the period. Finally, BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in 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 buying an additional 436,206 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.77% of the company's stock.

Southwest Gas Price Performance

NYSE SWX traded down $0.42 on Thursday, hitting $73.15. 786,202 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 473,631. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $69.70 and a two-hundred day moving average of $63.65. The company has a market cap of $5.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a current ratio of 1.12, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a 1-year low of $53.79 and a 1-year high of $76.75.

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

Southwest Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.39%. Southwest Gas's payout ratio is presently 116.98%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.