Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. Declares Quarterly Dividend of $0.62 (NYSE:SWX)

Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 19th,RTT News reports. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of 0.62 per share by the utilities provider on Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.20%.

Southwest Gas has raised its dividend payment by an average of 1.7% per year over the last three years. Southwest Gas has a payout ratio of 60.8% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities research analysts expect Southwest Gas to earn $3.69 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.48 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 67.2%.

Southwest Gas Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of SWX traded down $0.45 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $77.50. The stock had a trading volume of 207,015 shares, compared to its average volume of 339,032. Southwest Gas has a 1 year low of $59.40 and a 1 year high of $80.29. The firm has a market cap of $5.56 billion, a PE ratio of 31.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.18 and a beta of 0.44. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average is $72.70 and its 200 day moving average is $73.42.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SWX has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Southwest Gas from $76.00 to $72.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 28th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Southwest Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Southwest Gas in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $73.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Bank of America restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of Southwest Gas in a report on Friday, December 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $73.80.

Southwest Gas Company 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.