Inspire Investing LLC Sells 4,099 Shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX)

Inspire Investing LLC reduced its position in shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX - Free Report) by 41.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 5,748 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 4,099 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC's holdings in Southwest Gas were worth $406,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SWX. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 67.2% during the 3rd quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 398 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 160 shares during the period. Waldron Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Southwest Gas during the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Southwest Gas by 37.5% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 789 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 215 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 206.2% in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Gas in the 3rd quarter valued at about $66,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.77% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southwest Gas

In other Southwest Gas news, major shareholder Carl C. Icahn sold 1,390,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.74, for a total value of $106,668,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 9,632,604 shares in the company, valued at approximately $739,206,030.96. This represents a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.39% of the company's stock.

Southwest Gas Price Performance

SWX stock traded up $2.71 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $73.81. 405,376 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 269,356. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $73.13. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $57.55 and a one year high of $80.29. The company has a market cap of $5.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.76, a P/E/G ratio of 3.02 and a beta of 0.43.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.08 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.12 billion. Southwest Gas had a net margin of 3.44% and a return on equity of 5.99%. The business's revenue was down 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.10 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Southwest Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 18th. Southwest Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.00%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on SWX. Bank of America reissued an "underperform" rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of Southwest Gas in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Southwest Gas in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $73.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have issued a hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Southwest Gas presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $73.40.

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.