Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Acquires 36,900 Shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX)

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) by 94.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 75,923 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 36,900 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in Southwest Gas were worth $4,810,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 9,522 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $603,000 after buying an additional 768 shares during the last quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC raised its stake in Southwest Gas by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. River Road Asset Management LLC now owns 1,183,049 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $74,946,000 after purchasing an additional 7,143 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its holdings in Southwest Gas by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 14,099 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $893,000 after purchasing an additional 1,260 shares during the period. Strs Ohio grew its position in Southwest Gas by 180.4% in the 4th quarter. Strs Ohio now owns 14,300 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $905,000 after purchasing an additional 9,200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Phocas Financial Corp. increased its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Phocas Financial Corp. now owns 47,558 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,013,000 after purchasing an additional 845 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 92.77% of the company’s stock.

Southwest Gas Price Performance

NYSE:SWX opened at $73.48 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.66, a PEG ratio of 3.54 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a 50-day moving average of $69.98 and a 200-day moving average of $63.75. Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. has a 52 week low of $53.79 and a 52 week high of $76.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 1.12 and a current ratio of 1.12.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $1.37 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.27 billion. Southwest Gas had a net margin of 2.78% and a return on equity of 7.28%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. will post 3.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Southwest Gas Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 3rd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.38%. Southwest Gas’s dividend payout ratio is currently 116.98%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SWX has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Southwest Gas from $64.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. StockNews.com raised Southwest Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 27th.

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.