Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Hits New 1-Year High at $79.48

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) reached a new 52-week high on Wednesday . The stock traded as high as $79.48 and last traded at $79.36, with a volume of 822892 shares. The stock had previously closed at $77.73.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Sempra from $79.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH decreased their price target on shares of Sempra from $81.50 to $79.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Sempra from $79.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of Sempra from $79.00 to $76.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Sempra from $86.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. One 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Sempra has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $82.10.

Sempra Trading Up 0.6 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $49.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.40, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $76.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $73.26.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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). Sempra had a net margin of 20.99% and a return on equity of 8.95%. The business had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.58 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.46 earnings per share. Sempra’s revenue was down 44.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Sempra will post 4.8 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 27th were paid a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 27th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.16%. Sempra’s payout ratio is presently 54.93%.

Insider Transactions at Sempra

In other news, Director Richard J. Mark purchased 1,925 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 17th. The shares were bought at an average cost 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 in the company, valued at approximately $422,597.40. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CAO Peter R. Wall sold 6,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.07, for a total transaction of $457,927.00. Following the sale, 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 SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard J. Mark acquired 1,925 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $77.97 per share, for a total transaction of $150,092.25. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 5,420 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $422,597.40. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sempra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SRE. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Sempra in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sempra during the 2nd quarter worth about $30,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Sempra by 195.1% during the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 419 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sempra during the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Planned Solutions Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sempra during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Company Profile

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.