What's in Store for Southwest Gas (SWX) in Q2 Earnings?

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Southwest Gas Holdings Inc. (SWX - Free Report) is scheduled to release second-quarter 2023 results on Aug 9, before market open. The company delivered an earnings surprise of 21.6% in the last reported quarter.

Let’s discuss the factors that are likely to be reflected in the upcoming quarterly results.

Factors to Note

During the first quarter, Arizona general rate case was finalized and became effective with an increase in revenues of $54.3 million. This is expected to have boosted Southwest Gas’ second-quarter results.

Southwest Gas’ second-quarter earnings are likely to have benefited from expanding customer base and strong economic condition in its service areas boosting demand.  

The bottom line is expected to have been boosted by lower operations and maintenance (O&M) expenses, owing to the company’s focus on disciplined O&M. Our model predicts O&M expenses of $138.5 million, down 21.2% from the year-ago quarter’s reported figure.

Q2 Expectations

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for second-quarter earnings is pegged at 39 cents per share, indicating a year-over-year increase of 69.6%.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenues is pinned at $1.12 billion, indicating a year-over-year decrease of 2.4%.

What the Zacks Model Unveils

Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for Southwest Gas this time around. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), #2 (Buy) or #3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. That is not the case here as you will see below.

Earnings ESP: The company’s Earnings ESP is -1.30%. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Zacks Rank: Currently, Southwest Gas carries a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Recent Releases

National Fuel Gas Company (NFG - Free Report) reported fiscal third-quarter 2023 earnings of $1.01 per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 90 cents by 12.2%.

NFG’s long-term (three to five years) earnings growth rate is 10.37%. It delivered an average earnings surprise of 4.4% in the last four quarters.

NewJersey Resources (NJR - Free Report) reported fiscal third-quarter 2023 earnings of 10 cents per share, which beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 3 cents per share by 433.3%.

NJR’s long-term earnings growth rate is 6%. It delivered an average earnings surprise of 120.8% in the last four quarters.

Atmos Energy Corporation (ATO - Free Report) posted fiscal third-quarter 2023 earnings of 94 cents per share, which missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 97 cents by 3.1%.

ATO’s long-term earnings growth rate is 7.48%. It delivered an average earnings surprise of 2.4% in the last four quarters.

Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar.

 

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