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

Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:SWX) declared a quarterly dividend on Friday, May 3rd, Wall Street Journal reports. Investors of record on Thursday, August 15th will be given a dividend of 0.62 per share by the utilities provider on Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 15th.

Southwest Gas has increased its dividend payment by an average of 3.2% per year over the last three years. Southwest Gas has a payout ratio of 65.8% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Southwest Gas to earn $4.11 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 60.3%.

Southwest Gas Price Performance

NYSE:SWX opened at $75.13 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $72.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $64.87. The firm has a market cap of $5.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.44, a PEG ratio of 3.64 and a beta of 0.36. Southwest Gas has a 52-week low of $53.79 and a 52-week high of $76.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.12, a current ratio of 1.12 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Citigroup increased their price target on Southwest Gas from $64.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th.

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.