Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) is Moody Aldrich Partners LLC's 2nd Largest Position

Moody Aldrich Partners LLC boosted its position in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX - Free Report) by 14.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 134,573 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 17,227 shares during the period. Southwest Gas makes up approximately 1.8% of Moody Aldrich Partners LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd largest holding. Moody Aldrich Partners LLC owned 0.19% of Southwest Gas worth $9,926,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of SWX. Acadian Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Southwest Gas during the 1st quarter valued at about $936,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Southwest Gas by 41.9% in the second quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 206,114 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $14,506,000 after acquiring an additional 60,856 shares during the period. Choreo LLC purchased a new stake in Southwest Gas in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $503,000. Susquehanna Fundamental Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Gas during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $347,000. Finally, Millennium Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 266.0% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 37,595 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,646,000 after purchasing an additional 27,323 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.77% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Southwest Gas

In other news, CFO Robert J. Stefani sold 767 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.14, for a total value of $56,098.38. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 43,438 shares in the company, valued at $3,177,055.32. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently issued reports on SWX shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Southwest Gas from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Southwest Gas from $78.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 15th.

Southwest Gas Price Performance

NYSE:SWX traded up $0.07 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $74.37. 177,440 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 384,119. The company has a current ratio of 1.58, a quick ratio of 1.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The firm has a market cap of $5.33 billion, a PE ratio of 29.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.85 and a beta of 0.38. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a twelve month low of $56.17 and a twelve month high of $78.46. The stock's 50-day moving average is $72.77 and its 200-day moving average is $73.56.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.48 by ($0.17). Southwest Gas had a net margin of 3.44% and a return on equity of 6.18%. The company had revenue of $1.18 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.47 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.21 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Gas Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 2nd. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Southwest Gas's dividend payout ratio is currently 98.41%.

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.