Advisor Resource Council Purchases Shares of 23,828 Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Advisor Resource Council purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 23,828 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,781,000. Sempra comprises 0.7% of Advisor Resource Council’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Sempra during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sempra by 195.1% in the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 419 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 277 shares during the period. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sempra in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sempra in the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sempra in the 4th quarter valued at about $45,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Price Performance

Shares of Sempra stock remained flat at $75.17 during mid-day trading on Thursday. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,261,368 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,766,711. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $75.36 and a 200-day moving average price of $72.98. Sempra has a fifty-two week low of $63.75 and a fifty-two week high of $78.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.37 billion, a PE ratio of 16.65, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.35 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $3.64 billion during 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%. Sempra’s revenue for the quarter was down 44.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.46 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Sempra will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Richard J. Mark purchased 1,925 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $77.97 per share, for a total transaction of $150,092.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,420 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $422,597.40. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 14,751 shares in the company, valued at $1,107,357.57. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard J. Mark acquired 1,925 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $77.97 per share, with a total value of $150,092.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,420 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $422,597.40. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SRE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Sempra in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Sempra from $79.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH decreased their price objective on Sempra from $81.50 to $79.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Sempra from $79.00 to $76.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 24th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on Sempra from $79.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Sempra currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.