Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) Shares Acquired by Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C.

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. boosted its holdings in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX - Free Report) by 111.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 900,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 475,000 shares during the quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned approximately 1.25% of Southwest Gas worth $63,639,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SWX. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Southwest Gas by 0.6% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 6,696,651 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $473,520,000 after buying an additional 38,710 shares during the period. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 3,322,085 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $234,905,000 after acquiring an additional 105,549 shares during the period. Channing Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 1,270,072 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $89,807,000 after acquiring an additional 4,235 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,030,283 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $72,850,000 after acquiring an additional 27,407 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in Southwest Gas by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 990,723 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $70,054,000 after purchasing an additional 12,913 shares during the period. 92.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southwest Gas

In other Southwest Gas news, major shareholder Carl C. Icahn sold 2,100,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 7,532,604 shares in the company, valued at $561,932,258.40. This represents a 21.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Southwest Gas Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of Southwest Gas stock traded down $0.68 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $72.54. 213,141 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 351,684. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $64.31 and a twelve month high of $80.29. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $73.17 and a 200-day simple moving average of $73.75. The company has a market cap of $5.21 billion, a PE ratio of 29.25, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.50.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $1.35 billion. Equities research analysts anticipate that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Gas Dividend Announcement

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 3.42%. Southwest Gas's dividend payout ratio is presently 90.18%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on SWX shares. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Southwest Gas in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a "hold" rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Southwest Gas from $76.00 to $72.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Southwest Gas to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.