V Square Quantitative Management LLC Buys 1,184 Shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX)

V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) by 27.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 5,487 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,184 shares during the quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC’s holdings in Southwest Gas were worth $388,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. State Street Corp lifted its position in Southwest Gas by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 2,256,637 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $166,450,000 after purchasing an additional 22,013 shares during the period. Maverick Capital Ltd. lifted its position in Southwest Gas by 18.5% during the 3rd quarter. Maverick Capital Ltd. now owns 1,765,148 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $130,197,000 after purchasing an additional 275,992 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Southwest Gas by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,450,755 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $107,027,000 after purchasing an additional 19,922 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Southwest Gas by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 977,810 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $72,123,000 after purchasing an additional 35,106 shares during the period. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in Southwest Gas by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 654,930 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $48,308,000 after purchasing an additional 6,059 shares during the period. 92.77% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SWX has been the topic of a number of research reports. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded shares of Southwest Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, January 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Southwest Gas from $76.00 to $72.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Southwest Gas in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. They issued a “hold” rating and a $73.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Bank of America reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of Southwest Gas in a research report on Friday, December 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $73.80.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Southwest Gas news, major shareholder Carl C. Icahn sold 1,390,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $76.74, for a total transaction of $106,668,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 9,632,604 shares in the company, valued at approximately $739,206,030.96. This trade represents a 12.61 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.39% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Gas Stock Performance

Shares of SWX stock opened at $77.53 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a current ratio of 0.85. The company has a market capitalization of $5.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 0.44. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $72.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.36. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $58.77 and a 52 week high of $80.29.

Southwest Gas Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 3rd. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.20%. Southwest Gas’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 100.00%.

About Southwest Gas

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.