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Southwest Gas Corporation (NYSE:SWX) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Southwest Gas logo with Utilities background

Shares of Southwest Gas Corporation (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the five research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, one has given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $77.25.

SWX has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Southwest Gas from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and boosted their target price for the company from $74.00 to $82.00 in a research report on Tuesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen raised Southwest Gas from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, June 27th. Bank of America upgraded shares of Southwest Gas from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $69.00 to $74.00 in a report on Friday, May 23rd. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Southwest Gas to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, May 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of Southwest Gas from $79.00 to $75.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on Southwest Gas

Southwest Gas Price Performance

Southwest Gas stock traded up $0.77 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $79.56. 405,872 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 385,327. Southwest Gas has a 12-month low of $64.31 and a 12-month high of $80.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.15. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $72.97 and a two-hundred day moving average of $73.26. The company has a market cap of $5.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.58, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.48.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 12th. The utilities provider reported $1.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $1.30 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.50 billion. Southwest Gas had a net margin of 4.66% and a return on equity of 6.76%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 18.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.37 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Southwest Gas will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.12%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Southwest Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.74%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southwest Gas

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 1,055.0% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 462 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 422 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC raised its holdings in Southwest Gas by 144.0% in the 1st quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 510 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 301 shares during the period. Golden State Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in Southwest Gas by 1,001.8% during the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 606 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 551 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP boosted its position in Southwest Gas by 118.3% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 751 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 407 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings in Southwest Gas by 194.6% in the second quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 813 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 537 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.77% of the company's stock.

About Southwest Gas

(Get Free Report

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.

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Analyst Recommendations for Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX)

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