O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. Buys 3,654 Shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX)

O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. boosted its holdings in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX - Free Report) by 45.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,775 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 3,654 shares during the period. O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc.'s holdings in Southwest Gas were worth $833,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in SWX. UMB Bank n.a. raised its position in shares of Southwest Gas by 67.2% in the third quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 398 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Waldron Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Southwest Gas in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in Southwest Gas by 37.5% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 789 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $56,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 569 shares during the period. Finally, nVerses Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Gas in the third quarter valued at approximately $66,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 92.77% of the company's stock.

Southwest Gas Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SWX traded up $0.80 during trading on Friday, reaching $72.29. 455,528 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 288,007. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.19 billion, a PE ratio of 29.15, a PEG ratio of 2.87 and a beta of 0.43. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $57.55 and a 52 week high of $80.29. The company has a quick ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The company's 50 day moving average is $73.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.08.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.07 by $0.02. Southwest Gas had a net margin of 3.44% and a return on equity of 5.99%. The business had revenue of $1.08 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.12 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.10 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict 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 issued a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.43%. Southwest Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 100.00%.

Insider Activity at Southwest Gas

In other news, major shareholder Carl C. Icahn sold 1,390,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.74, for a total transaction of $106,668,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 9,632,604 shares in the company, valued at approximately $739,206,030.96. The trade was a 12.61 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Bank of America reissued an "underperform" rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of Southwest Gas in a report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Southwest Gas from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Southwest Gas in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $73.00 price target on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and four have given a hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock 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.