River Road Asset Management LLC Reduces Stake in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX)

River Road Asset Management LLC reduced its stake in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX - Free Report) by 1.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,155,249 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 16,877 shares during the period. River Road Asset Management LLC owned about 1.61% of Southwest Gas worth $81,688,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SWX. UMB Bank n.a. increased its position in Southwest Gas by 48.2% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 590 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $42,000 after buying an additional 192 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of Southwest Gas by 206.2% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 845 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $60,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Southwest Gas by 18.8% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 937 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $69,000 after acquiring an additional 148 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC raised its stake in Southwest Gas by 94,500.0% during the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 946 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 945 shares during the period. Finally, KBC Group NV lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 25.4% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,839 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $136,000 after buying an additional 373 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 92.77% of the company's stock.

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Southwest Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SWX traded up $1.53 during trading on Friday, reaching $75.00. 408,378 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 337,328. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $64.31 and a 12 month high of $80.29. 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $74.07 and a 200-day moving average of $73.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.37.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.39 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.35 billion. Southwest Gas had a return on equity of 5.99% and a net margin of 3.44%. On average, equities analysts expect that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.03 EPS for the current year.

Southwest Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Southwest Gas's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 90.18%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America restated an "underperform" rating and set a $73.00 target price on shares of Southwest Gas in a research report on Friday, December 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Southwest Gas from $76.00 to $72.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Southwest Gas in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a "hold" rating and a $73.00 target price for the company. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Southwest Gas to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. One investment 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Southwest Gas presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $74.00.

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.