New York State Common Retirement Fund Increases Stock Position in Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX)

New York State Common Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) by 4.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 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’s holdings in Southwest Gas were worth $19,771,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. UMB Bank n.a. increased its holdings in Southwest Gas by 48.2% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 590 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $42,000 after acquiring an additional 192 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Southwest Gas by 37.5% during the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 789 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $56,000 after acquiring an additional 215 shares during the period. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Southwest Gas by 206.2% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 845 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $60,000 after acquiring an additional 569 shares during the period. KBC Group NV increased its holdings in Southwest Gas by 25.4% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,839 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $136,000 after acquiring an additional 373 shares during the period. Finally, Spirit of America Management Corp NY increased its holdings in Southwest Gas by 10.4% during the 3rd quarter. Spirit of America Management Corp NY now owns 2,650 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $195,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.77% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Gas Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SWX opened at $76.92 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $72.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $73.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.01, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.44. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a one year low of $60.88 and a one year high of $80.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.85.

Southwest Gas Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on SWX shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Southwest Gas from $76.00 to $72.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH raised shares of Southwest Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, January 24th. Bank of America reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of Southwest Gas in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group assumed 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $73.80.

Southwest Gas 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.