Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX) Sets New 1-Year High – Time to Buy?

Southwest Gas Corporation (NYSE:SWX)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $88.78 and last traded at $88.50, with a volume of 864269 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $87.07.

Southwest Gas News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Southwest Gas this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Management raised FY‑2026 EPS guidance to $4.170–$4.320, above consensus, signaling stronger forward earnings expectations and giving investors a clear path to higher returns. PR: Q4 & Full‑Year Results (press release/slide deck)
• Positive Sentiment: The company set an aggressive long‑term growth target (~14% annual growth through 2030), which supports a growth narrative tied to capital investment and rate‑base expansion. Southwest Gas Has a 14% Annual Growth Target Through 2030
• Positive Sentiment: Board approved a 4% increase in the quarterly dividend and S&P upgraded the company’s credit rating to BBB+, both of which improve shareholder income prospects and lower financing risk. PR: Q4 & Full‑Year Results (press release)
• Neutral Sentiment: Management plans roughly $1.25 billion of capital spending in 2026 — this supports rate‑base growth (positive longer term) but increases near‑term funding needs and execution risk. Zacks: Q4 Earnings & CapEx
• Neutral Sentiment: CEO succession announced: Justin Brown will become CEO effective May 8, 2026 — an internal promotion that limits leadership disruption but will be watched for strategic continuity. Reuters: CEO Succession
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results missed estimates: EPS $1.36 vs. $1.40 expected and revenue of $480.7M versus ~$587M consensus (revenue down ~13% YoY), highlighting near‑term demand/volume weakness and pressuring short‑term sentiment. Zacks: Missed Q4 Earnings & Revenue

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SWX has been the subject of several recent research reports. Citigroup raised shares of Southwest Gas from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $82.00 to $99.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Mizuho set a $96.00 price target on shares of Southwest Gas in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Southwest Gas in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Southwest Gas presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $88.40.

Southwest Gas Trading Up 1.6%

The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $83.39 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $80.79. The company has a market cap of $6.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.79, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.65.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $1.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.40 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $480.74 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $587.01 million. Southwest Gas had a net margin of 11.59% and a return on equity of 6.78%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.39 EPS. Southwest Gas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.170-4.320 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Southwest Gas Corporation will post 3.03 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Southwest Gas

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its position in Southwest Gas by 38.7% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 5,273 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $422,000 after buying an additional 1,472 shares during the period. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. boosted its holdings in shares of Southwest Gas by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. now owns 10,934 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $875,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the period. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury grew its position in shares of Southwest Gas by 33.5% during the fourth quarter. State of Tennessee Department of Treasury now owns 32,577 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,698,000 after acquiring an additional 8,168 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new position in shares of Southwest Gas in the 4th quarter valued at $174,000. Finally, Zacks Investment Management purchased a new stake in Southwest Gas in the 4th quarter valued at $298,000. 92.77% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Southwest Gas

Southwest Gas Corporation (NYSE: SWX) is a publicly traded natural gas utility that provides regulated gas distribution services to residential, commercial, industrial and electric generation customers. The company’s core activities include the transportation, distribution and sale of natural gas through an extensive network of pipelines, service lines and metering facilities. Southwest Gas also offers related services such as system maintenance, pipeline safety inspections, emergency response and line extensions to support customer growth and ensure reliable gas delivery.

Founded in 1931 in southern Nevada, Southwest Gas has grown through strategic acquisitions and organic expansion to become one of the nation’s larger natural gas utilities by customer count.