Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) Shares Sold by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. lessened its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX - Free Report) by 47.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,849 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 9,830 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.'s holdings in Southwest Gas were worth $767,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased its stake in Southwest Gas by 48.2% in the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 590 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after purchasing an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position 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 buying an additional 569 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC raised its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 94,500.0% in the fourth quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 946 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 945 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Southwest Gas by 18.8% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 937 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $69,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KBC Group NV boosted its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 54.0% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,832 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $200,000 after acquiring an additional 993 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.77% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Southwest Gas news, major shareholder Carl C. Icahn sold 2,100,000 shares of Southwest Gas stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.60, for a total transaction of $156,660,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,532,604 shares of the company's stock, valued at $561,932,258.40. The trade was a 21.80 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.39% of the company's stock.

Southwest Gas Trading Up 1.3 %

SWX stock traded up $0.94 on Tuesday, hitting $73.07. 300,405 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 351,648. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.50. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $64.31 and a twelve month high of $80.29. The business's fifty day moving average is $73.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.76.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.39 EPS 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.35 billion. As a group, research analysts forecast that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Southwest Gas's payout ratio is currently 90.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on SWX shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Southwest Gas from $76.00 to $72.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Southwest Gas in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $73.00 price target for the company. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Southwest Gas to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 17th. One equities 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $74.00.

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.