Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) Shares Sold by South Dakota Investment Council

South Dakota Investment Council reduced its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) by 40.0% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,373 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 10,900 shares during the period. South Dakota Investment Council’s holdings in Southwest Gas were worth $1,158,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SWX. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 599.0% during the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 9,877 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $729,000 after acquiring an additional 8,464 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. increased its stake in Southwest Gas by 234.1% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 53,403 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,939,000 after purchasing an additional 37,418 shares in the last quarter. Summit Global Investments acquired a new position in Southwest Gas during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $1,349,000. New York State Common Retirement Fund raised its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 3.0% in the third quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund now owns 267,589 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $19,737,000 after buying an additional 7,858 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hennessy Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Southwest Gas by 31.1% during the fourth quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 110,817 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,836,000 after buying an additional 26,300 shares during the period. 92.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Southwest Gas Price Performance

Shares of SWX opened at $76.92 on Monday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $72.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.55. The company has a market capitalization of $5.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.01, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.44. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $60.88 and a fifty-two week high of $80.29. 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 Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Southwest Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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