Fact based stock research
Southwest Gas (NYSE:SWX)

US8448951025

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For every stock, we judge its performance against its peers and rank it on a scale of 1 to 100. The higher the rank, the better the stock performs than its peers. And, we do this for six investment strategies:
Value - shows how good of a value the stock is. Green is "inexpensive"; red is "expensive".

Growth - shows a company's growth potential. Green is "high growth" expected; red is "tough times ahead".

Safety - relates to the amount of debt a company has. Green is low debt level; red is high debt level.

Combined Financial - this isn't an average of the first three ranks but rather a consolidated view across several financial indicators. Green = good; red = tread carefully.

(NEW) Sentiment - quantifies professional analyst ratings and holdings as well as market pulse. Green = positive sentiment; red = skepticism (Only available to Premium Subscribers).

(NEW) 360° View - the ultimate rating with all financial and non-financial indicators.

Southwest Gas stock research in summary

swgasholdings.com

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Combined Rank of 20 (worse than 80% compared with investment alternatives), Southwest Gas (Gas Utilities, USA) shares have lower financial characteristics compared with similar stocks. Shares of Southwest Gas are a good value (attractively priced) with a consolidated Value Rank of 75 (better than 75% of alternatives) but show below-average growth (Growth Rank of 5), and are riskily financed (Safety Rank of 40), which means above-average debt burdens. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: A Combined Rank of 20, is a sell recommendation based on Southwest Gas's financial characteristics. As the company Southwest Gas's key financial metrics exhibit good value (Obermatt Value Rank of 75) but low growth (Obermatt Growth Rank of 5) and risky financing practices (Obermatt Safety Rank of 40), it may be a risky investment, because debt in times of crises can make things worse. The good value, better than 75% of comparable companies, may indicate the company's future is challenging. If you believe that low growth is temporary or just due to a specific current event, you may conclude that the good value of the stock provides an attractive investment opportunity. Obermatt Premium subscribers can further check the stock’s Sentiment Ranks, which also flow into the Obermatt 360° View for investors. ...read more

Latest Obermatt Ranks


360° View^new
Sentiment Rank^new
Value Rank	75
Growth Rank	5
Safety Rank	40
Combined Rank	20

Country	USA
Industry	Gas Utilities
Index	Customer Focus US, S&P MIDCAP
Size class	X-Large

14-Nov-2024. Stock data may be delayed. Log in or sign up to get the most recent research.

Further information

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Analysts rarely agree on a stock’s future. So, who do you believe? Obermatt translates those collective views into a single Sentiment Rank. That plus the financial ranks give you the ultimate 360° View. Sign up to access them.

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Review the performance ranks of the individual metrics that form each investment strategy.

Research History: Southwest Gas

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	53	100	67	75
GROWTH
GROWTH	15	29	45	5
SAFETY
SAFETY	21	80	60	40
SENTIMENT
SENTIMENT	n/a	21	43	^new
360° VIEW
360° VIEW	n/a	69	58	^new

Most recent update of the stock research: 14-Nov-2024. Financial reporting date used for calculating ranks: 30-Jun-2024. Stock research history is based on the Obermatt Method. The higher the rank, the better Southwest Gas is in the corresponding investment strategy.
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Combined financial peformance in Detail

RESEARCH HISTORY	2021	2022	2023	2024
VALUE
VALUE	53	100	67	75
GROWTH
GROWTH	15	29	45	5
SAFETY
SAFETY	21	80	60	40
COMBINED
COMBINED	13	86	73	20

Last update of combined financial performance: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on combined financial performance: The higher the rank of Southwest Gas the better the performance.

Value Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Value Rank of 75 (better than 75% compared with alternatives) for 2024, Southwest Gas shares are significantly less expensive than comparable stocks. The Value Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, where half the indicators are below and half above average for Southwest Gas. Price-to-Sales (P/S) is 94, which means that the stock price compared with what market professionals expect for future sales is lower than for 94% of comparable companies, indicating a good value concerning Southwest Gas's revenue size. The same is valid for the Price-to-Book Capital ratio (also referred to as market-to-book ratio), which is more favorable than for 78% of alternatives (22% of peers have a higher ratio). But expected dividend yields with a Dividend Yield rank of 43 are lower than average (dividends are expected to be lower than 57% of other stocks) while the Price to Profit ratio (or Price to Earnings (P/E) ratio) is higher than average with a Price-to-Profit Rank of 22, making the stock more expensive compared with the company's expected profit levels. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Value Rank of 75, is a buy recommendation based on Southwest Gas's stock price compared with the company's operational size and dividend yields. Low profits and low dividends as seen here for Southwest Gas may indicate a restructuring phase. This could be transitory, making the company a good value when profits recover and dividends return to higher levels. If the stock price is compared with the size indicators for revenue and invested capital, it is on the lower side, making this stock a good value investment (apart from current profit and dividend expectations). We recommend further analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks, including the 360° View, before making an investment decision. ...read more

VALUE METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)
PRICE VS. REVENUES (P/S)	65	96	89	94
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)
PRICE VS. PROFITS (P/E)	34	89	13	22
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)
PRICE VS. CAPITAL (Market-to-Book)	50	97	74	78
DIVIDEND YIELD
DIVIDEND YIELD	56	65	49	43
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE
CONSOLIDATED RANK: VALUE	53	100	67	75

Last update of Value Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on value ratios: The higher the rank, the lower the value ratio of Southwest Gas; except for dividend yield where the rank is higher, the higher the yield.

Growth Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Growth Rank of 5 (better than 5% compared with alternatives), Southwest Gas shows one of the most restricted growth dynamics in its industry. There is little momentum in this company. The Growth Rank is based on consolidating four value indicators, with three out of four indicators below average for Southwest Gas. Sales Growth has a below market rank of 14, which means that, currently, professionals expect the company to grow less than 86% of its competitors. The same is valid for Capital Growth, with a rank of 17, and Profit Growth, with a rank of 10. Currently, professionals expect the company to grow its profits less than 90% of its competitors). Only shareholders are optimistic. Stock Returns are above average at a rank of 65, which means that the stock returns have recently been above 65% of alternative investments. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: The overall picture with a consolidated Growth Rank of 5, is a sell recommendation for growth and momentum investors. That picture may be the result for a company that has reached the bottom. All went south for Southwest Gas, and it still looks bad, but some investors already see light at the end of the tunnel, rewarding the stock with recent above-market stock returns. It could also mean that investors are correcting an overreaction to negative news. If that were the case, the positive stock returns are not yet a sign of recovery. Investors should look closely at the Value and Sentiment indicators before they make a stock purchasing decision, because growth is unlikely to be the driving argument behind this investment. While momentum is a popular investment factor, the value aspect might be the more important one, in the longer term. We recommend analyzing the stock with Obermatt’s Value, Safety, and Sentiment Ranks to arrive at a 360° View of the stock purchase case, especially since the growth performance is low here. ...read more

GROWTH METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
REVENUE GROWTH
REVENUE GROWTH	27	96	4	14
PROFIT GROWTH
PROFIT GROWTH	21	19	89	10
CAPITAL GROWTH
CAPITAL GROWTH	n/a	13	17	17
STOCK RETURNS
STOCK RETURNS	38	39	87	65
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH
CONSOLIDATED RANK: GROWTH	15	29	45	5

Last update of Growth Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on growth metrics: The higher the rank, the higher the growth and returns of Southwest Gas.

Safety Metrics in Detail

ANALYSIS: With an Obermatt Safety Rank of 40 (better than 40% compared with alternatives), the company Southwest Gas has financing practices on the riskier side, which means that their overall debt burden is above the industry average. This doesn't mean that the business of Southwest Gas is also risky, it only means that the company is on the riskier side in respect to bankruptcy in case things turn sour, assuming that public reporting is correct. The Safety Rank is based on consolidating three financing indicators, with just one indicator above average for Southwest Gas. Liquidity is at 52, meaning the company generates more profit to service its debt than 52% of its competitors. This indicates that the company is safer when it comes to debt service. But Refinancing is riskier at a rank of 36, which means that the portion of the debt that is about to be refinanced is above average. It has more debt in the refinancing stage than 64% of its competitors. Leverage is also high at a rank of 44, which means that the company has an above-average debt-to-equity ratio. It has more debt than 56% of its competitors. ...read more

RECOMMENDATION: With a consolidated Safety Rank of 40 (worse than 60% compared with alternatives), Southwest Gas has a financing structure that is riskier than that of its competitors. High Leverage (a low Obermatt Leverage Rank) is good in good times, because it usually indicates that shareholders get higher returns. The good Liquidity performance of the company is an indicator that this is the case. However, if you expect an economic downturn, you may stay clear of this stock because they have an above-average debt level that needs refinancing soon. If the company is sailing with good winds, as may be visible from the Growth and Sentiment performance, the refinancing risk may be lower than the low Refinancing rank suggests. ...read more

SAFETY METRICS	2021	2022	2023	2024
LEVERAGE
LEVERAGE	12	76	12	44
REFINANCING
REFINANCING	80	86	98	36
LIQUIDITY
LIQUIDITY	15	62	53	52
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SAFETY	21	80	60	40

Last update of Safety Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on safety metrics: The higher the rank, the lower the leverage of Southwest Gas and the more cash is available to service its debt.

Sentiment Metrics in Detail

SENTIMENT	2021	2022	2023	2024
ANALYST OPINIONS
ANALYST OPINIONS	n/a	28	62	^new
OPINIONS CHANGE
OPINIONS CHANGE	n/a	50	75	^new
PRO HOLDINGS
PRO HOLDINGS	n/a	29	12	^new
MARKET PULSE
MARKET PULSE	n/a	52	54	^new
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT
CONSOLIDATED RANK: SENTIMENT	n/a	21	43	^new

Last update of Sentiment Rank: 14-Nov-2024. Stock analysis on sentiment metrics: The higher the rank, the more positive the sentiment for Southwest Gas.
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