Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX) Now Covered by Analysts at Scotiabank

Stock analysts at Scotiabank initiated coverage on shares of Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX) in a research report issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The firm set a “sector outperform” rating and a $95.00 price target on the utilities provider’s stock. Scotiabank’s target price suggests a potential upside of 16.01% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently issued reports on SWX. Mizuho set a $103.00 price target on Southwest Gas in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Southwest Gas from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a report on Monday, September 14th. Wall Street Zen raised Southwest Gas from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Southwest Gas from $105.00 to $107.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 7th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $101.83.

Southwest Gas Trading Up 0.0%

NYSE:SWX traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $81.89. 13,740 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 582,111. The firm has a market cap of $5.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.70, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.57. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $89.06 and a 200 day simple moving average of $89.12. Southwest Gas has a 52-week low of $76.74 and a 52-week high of $94.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 1.12 and a quick ratio of 0.99.

Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 5th. The utilities provider reported $0.45 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.45. The company had revenue of $358.15 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $416.20 million. Southwest Gas had a net margin of 31.85% and a return on equity of 6.79%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 9.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.18) EPS. Southwest Gas has set its FY 2026 guidance at 4.170-4.320 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Southwest Gas will post 4.26 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Southwest Gas

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Bell Investment Advisors Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Southwest Gas during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Harbour Investments Inc. raised its holdings in Southwest Gas by 301.0% in the fourth quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 834 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 626 shares in the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Southwest Gas by 107.4% in the first quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,099 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $96,000 after acquiring an additional 569 shares in the last quarter. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Southwest Gas by 137.6% during the 2nd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 1,212 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $107,000 after acquiring an additional 702 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Southwest Gas during the 1st quarter worth $163,000. 92.77% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Southwest Gas

Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc is a regulated energy company that provides natural gas distribution services through its subsidiary, Southwest Gas Corporation. The utility delivers natural gas to residential, commercial and industrial customers, primarily in Arizona, Nevada and portions of California, serving communities across the desert Southwest.

The company’s utility operations include the acquisition, transportation and distribution of natural gas through a network of pipelines and related infrastructure.