Walleye Capital LLC Grows Stock Position in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX)

Walleye Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX - Free Report) by 51.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 33,758 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 11,454 shares during the period. Walleye Capital LLC's holdings in Southwest Gas were worth $2,387,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SWX. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its stake in Southwest Gas by 599.0% in the 3rd quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 9,877 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $729,000 after buying an additional 8,464 shares in the last quarter. Xponance Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 8,588 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $607,000 after acquiring an additional 406 shares during the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. raised its position in Southwest Gas by 31.1% during the 4th quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 110,817 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $7,836,000 after purchasing an additional 26,300 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Southwest Gas during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,000,000. Finally, O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. raised its position in Southwest Gas by 45.0% during the 4th quarter. O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. now owns 11,775 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $833,000 after purchasing an additional 3,654 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 92.77% of the company's stock.

Southwest Gas Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SWX traded up $0.49 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $73.08. 55,478 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 350,684. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $73.36 and a 200 day moving average of $73.76. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a 1 year low of $64.31 and a 1 year high of $80.29.

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

Southwest Gas Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on SWX shares. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised Southwest Gas to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Southwest Gas in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a "hold" rating and a $73.00 target price on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Southwest Gas from $76.00 to $72.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $74.00.

Insider Activity at Southwest Gas

In other Southwest Gas news, major shareholder Carl C. Icahn sold 2,100,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.60, for a total value of $156,660,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 7,532,604 shares in the company, valued at $561,932,258.40. This represents a 21.80 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.39% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.