Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX) Issues Earnings Results

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX) announced its earnings results on Wednesday. The utilities provider reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.18, Zacks reports. Southwest Gas had a return on equity of 5.99% and a net margin of 3.44%. The company had revenue of $1.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.35 billion.

Southwest Gas Stock Down 0.8 %

Southwest Gas stock opened at $74.75 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.44. Southwest Gas has a fifty-two week low of $62.48 and a fifty-two week high of $80.29. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $73.35 and its two-hundred day moving average is $73.65. 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 Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 2nd. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.32%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Southwest Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 100.00%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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