Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) Plans $0.62 Quarterly Dividend

Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) announced a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 19th,RTT News reports. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of 0.62 per share by the utilities provider on Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.20%.

Southwest Gas has raised its dividend payment by an average of 1.7% per year over the last three years. Southwest Gas has a payout ratio of 60.8% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Analysts expect Southwest Gas to earn $3.69 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.48 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 67.2%.

Southwest Gas Stock Down 0.6 %

Southwest Gas stock opened at $77.50 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $72.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.44. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 0.44. Southwest Gas has a 1-year low of $59.40 and a 1-year high of $80.29.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on SWX shares. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Southwest Gas in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. They set a “hold” rating and a $73.00 price target on the stock. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH upgraded Southwest Gas to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, January 24th. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of Southwest Gas in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Southwest Gas from $76.00 to $72.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 28th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Southwest Gas has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $73.80.

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.