Iams Wealth Management LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Iams Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 10.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,552 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 699 shares during the period. Iams Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Sempra were worth $534,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Sempra by 101.8% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 62,117,948 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,225,884,000 after buying an additional 31,334,782 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Sempra in the fourth quarter worth about $958,253,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in Sempra by 101.4% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 24,206,231 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,646,750,000 after buying an additional 12,184,568 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its stake in Sempra by 101.2% in the third quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 10,334,173 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $703,034,000 after buying an additional 5,197,328 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG increased its stake in shares of Sempra by 84.1% during the third quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 9,987,355 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $679,440,000 after purchasing an additional 4,562,759 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sempra Price Performance

Shares of Sempra stock traded up $0.23 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $75.20. 378,704 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,008,951. The company has a market capitalization of $47.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.74. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $75.22 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $72.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.57. Sempra has a 52-week low of $63.75 and a 52-week high of $78.83.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.58 billion. Sempra had a net margin of 20.99% and a return on equity of 8.95%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 44.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.46 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Sempra will post 4.8 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 27th will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 27th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.30%. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra

In related news, CAO Peter R. Wall sold 6,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.07, for a total value of $457,927.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 14,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,107,357.57. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, Director Richard J. Mark acquired 1,925 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $77.97 per share, for a total transaction of $150,092.25. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,420 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $422,597.40. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CAO Peter R. Wall sold 6,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.07, for a total value of $457,927.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 14,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,107,357.57. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on SRE. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Sempra in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lowered their price target on Sempra from $81.50 to $79.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Mizuho increased their price target on Sempra from $79.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Sempra from $79.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Sempra from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $82.10.

About Sempra

Sempra operates as an energy infrastructure company in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Sempra California, Sempra Texas Utilities, and Sempra Infrastructure. The Sempra California segment provides electric services; and natural gas services to San Diego County.