Southwest Gas Holdings, Inc. recently announced its fourth-quarter and full-year 2024 financial results, delivering strong earnings that surpassed analysts' expectations. The company's earnings per share (EPS) for Q4 2024 came in at $1.39, outperforming the consensus estimate of $1.15 by 20.9%. However, for the full year, EPS was $3.16, a decrease from the $3.64 recorded in 2023.
While earnings were up, the company faced mixed results in terms of revenue. Fourth-quarter operating revenues were $1.270 billion, slightly missing the consensus estimate of $1.373 billion. The full-year revenue of $5.11 billion marked a 5.9% decline from the previous year. According to Nasdaq, this performance was accompanied by a return on equity (ROE) of 8.1%, addition of 41,000 new meter sets, and stable operating and maintenance expenses per customer.
Looking ahead, Southwest Gas plans to invest $880 million in capital expenditures for 2025 to support growth, system improvements, and pipeline replacements. The company has forecast a compound annual growth rate of 6-8% for its rate base between 2025 and 2029. Furthermore, shareholders can anticipate a cash dividend of $0.62 per share for the second quarter of 2025, payable on June 2nd. This emphasis on strategic investments and shareholder returns aligns with Southwest Gas's commitment to improving infrastructure and expanding its customer base.