Edgestream Partners L.P. Acquires Shares of 24,595 Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX)

Edgestream Partners L.P. acquired a new stake in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 24,595 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,739,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SWX. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in Southwest Gas by 48.2% in the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 590 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its stake in Southwest Gas by 206.2% during the fourth quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 845 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $60,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in Southwest Gas by 18.8% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 937 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $69,000 after purchasing an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Southwest Gas by 25.4% during the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,839 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $136,000 after purchasing an additional 373 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Southwest Gas during the fourth quarter worth $207,000. 92.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SWX has been the topic of a number of research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on Southwest Gas from $76.00 to $72.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Southwest Gas to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. 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 target on the stock. Finally, Bank of America restated an "underperform" rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of Southwest Gas in a research note on Friday, December 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Southwest Gas currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $74.00.

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Southwest Gas Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of Southwest Gas stock traded up $1.53 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $75.00. 408,378 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 337,328. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.31 and a 1 year high of $80.29. The stock's fifty day moving average is $73.94 and its 200 day moving average is $73.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market cap of $5.39 billion, a PE ratio of 30.24, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.37.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.35 billion. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Gas Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Southwest Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 90.18%.

Southwest Gas 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.