New York State Common Retirement Fund Buys 12,018 Shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX)

New York State Common Retirement Fund increased its stake in shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) by 4.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 279,607 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 12,018 shares during the quarter. New York State Common Retirement Fund owned 0.39% of Southwest Gas worth $19,771,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio grew its holdings in 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 worth $729,000 after buying an additional 8,464 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Summit Global Investments purchased a new stake in shares of Southwest Gas during the 3rd quarter valued at $1,349,000. Hennessy Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of 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. Finally, O Keefe Stevens Advisory Inc. increased its position in shares of 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. Institutional investors own 92.77% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on SWX shares. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Southwest Gas in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $73.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped 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 research note on Friday, January 24th. Finally, Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $73.00 target price on shares of Southwest Gas in a research note on Friday, December 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Southwest Gas currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $73.80.

Southwest Gas Stock Performance

Shares of SWX stock opened at $76.92 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.01, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.44. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $72.89 and its 200 day moving average is $73.53. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a 12 month low of $60.88 and a 12 month high of $80.29.

Southwest Gas Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.22%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Southwest Gas’s payout ratio is currently 100.00%.

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.