Sage Investment Counsel LLC Purchases Shares of 3,852 Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX)

Sage Investment Counsel LLC purchased a new stake in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 3,852 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $272,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of SWX. Maverick Capital Ltd. raised its holdings in Southwest Gas by 18.5% in the 3rd quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 1,765,148 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $130,197,000 after acquiring an additional 275,992 shares during the last quarter. Zimmer Partners LP acquired a new position in Southwest Gas in the 3rd quarter valued at $6,823,000. Barclays PLC raised its holdings in Southwest Gas by 192.7% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 105,134 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,755,000 after acquiring an additional 69,212 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in Southwest Gas by 7,276.0% in the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 51,042 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,765,000 after acquiring an additional 50,350 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. raised its holdings in Southwest Gas by 107.4% in the 3rd quarter. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. now owns 83,306 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,145,000 after acquiring an additional 43,131 shares during the last quarter. 92.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Southwest Gas Trading Up 1.7 %

SWX stock opened at $74.99 on Friday. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $64.31 and a 52 week high of $80.29. The company has a market cap of $5.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.24, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $73.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $73.67.

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

Southwest Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.31%. Southwest Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 90.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have weighed in on SWX shares. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Southwest Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Southwest Gas in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a “hold” rating and a $73.00 price objective for the company. Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and set a $73.00 price objective on shares of Southwest Gas in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Southwest Gas from $76.00 to $72.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.00.

Southwest Gas Company 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.