Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX) Shares Pass Above 200 Day Moving Average - Here's What Happened

Key Points

• Shares of Southwest Gas passed above its 200-day moving average, trading as high as $92.54 and last at $91.72, roughly a 1.5% intraday gain.
• The company missed quarterly estimates, reporting $1.36 EPS vs. $1.40 expected and revenue of $480.74M (down 13.1% YoY), but issued FY2026 guidance of $4.17–$4.32 EPS (consensus ~4.25).
• Southwest Gas raised its quarterly dividend to $0.645 ($2.58 annual, ~2.8% yield; ex-dividend May 15), while analyst views are mixed—Citigroup upgraded to a Buy with a $99 target and the average analyst target is $88.40 (rating: Moderate Buy).

Shares of Southwest Gas Corporation (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Tuesday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $83.96 and traded as high as $92.54. Southwest Gas shares last traded at $91.7230, with a volume of 520,732 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently commented on SWX shares. Wall Street Zen lowered Southwest Gas from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, April 18th. Citigroup upgraded Southwest Gas from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $82.00 to $99.00 in a report on Thursday, January 15th. Finally, Mizuho set a $96.00 price target on Southwest Gas in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $88.40.

Southwest Gas Stock Up 1.5%

The stock has a fifty day moving average of $88.48 and a 200 day moving average of $83.96. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 1.28 and a quick ratio of 1.18.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $1.36 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.40 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $480.74 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $587.01 million. Southwest Gas had a return on equity of 6.62% and a net margin of 14.77%.The business's revenue was down 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.39 earnings per share. Southwest Gas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.170-4.320 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Southwest Gas Corporation will post 4.25 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Gas Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a $0.645 dividend. This is an increase from Southwest Gas's previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Southwest Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 37.75%.

Institutional Trading of Southwest Gas

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of SWX. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Southwest Gas by 146.9% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,773,068 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $138,902,000 after buying an additional 1,054,963 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Southwest Gas in the fourth quarter worth $66,930,000. BROOKFIELD Corp ON purchased a new stake in Southwest Gas in the fourth quarter worth $27,052,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Southwest Gas by 176.3% in the third quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 501,748 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $39,307,000 after buying an additional 320,145 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. increased its position in Southwest Gas by 16.1% in the fourth quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. now owns 1,648,496 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $131,913,000 after buying an additional 228,496 shares during the last quarter. 92.77% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Southwest Gas

Southwest Gas Corporation NYSE: SWX is a publicly traded natural gas utility that provides regulated gas distribution services to residential, commercial, industrial and electric generation customers. The company's core activities include the transportation, distribution and sale of natural gas through an extensive network of pipelines, service lines and metering facilities. Southwest Gas also offers related services such as system maintenance, pipeline safety inspections, emergency response and line extensions to support customer growth and ensure reliable gas delivery.

Founded in 1931 in southern Nevada, Southwest Gas has grown through strategic acquisitions and organic expansion to become one of the nation's larger natural gas utilities by customer count.

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