Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at LADENBURG THALM/SH SH

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX) was upgraded by research analysts at LADENBURG THALM/SH SH to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on SWX. Jefferies Financial Group initiated 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. lowered 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 note on Tuesday, January 28th. Finally, Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of Southwest Gas in a research note on Friday, December 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.00.

Southwest Gas Trading Down 1.2 %

NYSE SWX opened at $75.29 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $74.29 and a 200-day simple moving average of $73.88. 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 has a one year low of $64.31 and a one year high of $80.29. The firm has a market cap of $5.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.36, a PEG ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 0.37.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.39 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.21 by $0.18. The business had revenue of $1.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.35 billion. Southwest Gas had a net margin of 3.44% and a return on equity of 5.99%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Southwest Gas will post 3.03 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Southwest Gas

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SWX. Atria Investments Inc lifted its holdings in Southwest Gas by 26.9% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 3,999 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 848 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in Southwest Gas by 25.4% in the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 1,839 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $136,000 after purchasing an additional 373 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Southwest Gas by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 11,644 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $859,000 after purchasing an additional 365 shares in the last quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in Southwest Gas by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 27,125 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,001,000 after purchasing an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Southwest Gas by 112.4% in the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 10,849 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $800,000 after purchasing an additional 5,740 shares in the last quarter. 92.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.