Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Invests $1.07 Million in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund bought 16,900 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,071,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hennessy Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Southwest Gas by 2.6% during the 3rd quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 78,917 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,767,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Southwest Gas by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 10,585 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $639,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its stake in Southwest Gas by 8.5% in the third quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 12,839 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $776,000 after purchasing an additional 1,008 shares in the last quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC bought a new stake in Southwest Gas in the third quarter valued at about $685,000. Finally, Inspire Investing LLC raised its stake in Southwest Gas by 13.5% during the third quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 25,586 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,546,000 after buying an additional 3,045 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.77% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SWX has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup boosted their price target on Southwest Gas from $64.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com upgraded Southwest Gas from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, December 27th.

Southwest Gas Stock Performance

SWX stock traded up $0.64 on Wednesday, reaching $75.19. The company's stock had a trading volume of 308,709 shares, compared to its average volume of 471,363. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $53.79 and a 52 week high of $76.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 1.12. The company has a market capitalization of $5.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.59 and a beta of 0.36. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $70.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $64.11.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) 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 analysts' expectations of $1.27 billion. Southwest Gas had a return on equity of 7.28% and a net margin of 2.78%. As a group, analysts predict that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%. Southwest Gas's payout ratio is 116.98%.

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.