Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) Shares Sold by Icahn Carl C

Icahn Carl C cut its stake in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX - Free Report) by 12.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,632,604 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 1,390,000 shares during the period. Southwest Gas comprises about 9.2% of Icahn Carl C's investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. Icahn Carl C owned 13.43% of Southwest Gas worth $681,121,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. UMB Bank n.a. grew its position in shares of Southwest Gas by 48.2% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 590 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its stake in Southwest Gas by 206.2% in the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 845 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 569 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC grew its holdings in Southwest Gas by 94,500.0% during the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 946 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 945 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. increased its position in Southwest Gas by 18.8% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 937 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $69,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares during the period. Finally, Covestor Ltd raised its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 40.1% in the 4th quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 1,013 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $72,000 after purchasing an additional 290 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.77% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on SWX. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Southwest Gas to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Southwest Gas in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $73.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Southwest Gas from $76.00 to $72.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $74.00.

Insider Activity at Southwest Gas

In other Southwest Gas news, major shareholder Carl C. Icahn sold 2,100,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.60, for a total transaction of $156,660,000.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 7,532,604 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $561,932,258.40. This trade represents a 21.80 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. 0.39% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Southwest Gas Stock Up 1.6 %

SWX traded up $1.16 during trading on Thursday, hitting $73.37. The stock had a trading volume of 356,578 shares, compared to its average volume of 349,745. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $72.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.72. The company has a market capitalization of $5.27 billion, a PE ratio of 29.58, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $64.31 and a twelve month high of $80.29.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.35 billion. Southwest Gas had a return on equity of 5.99% and a net margin of 3.44%. On average, research analysts predict that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.38%. Southwest Gas's payout ratio is presently 90.18%.

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.