Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Director James C. Yardley Acquires 5,019 Shares of Stock

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Director James C. Yardley bought 5,019 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $69.74 per share, for a total transaction of $350,025.06. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,019 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $350,025.06. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Sempra Stock Down 1.6 %

SRE stock opened at $67.84 on Friday. Sempra has a twelve month low of $64.89 and a twelve month high of $95.77. The company has a market cap of $44.20 billion, a PE ratio of 14.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.76. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $79.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $84.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.03. Sempra had a return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 22.63%. The business had revenue of $3.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.13 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Sempra will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.645 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This is an increase from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.80%. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays downgraded shares of Sempra from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $95.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Sempra from $100.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Sempra from $92.00 to $78.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Sempra from $96.00 to $88.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their price target on Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $81.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sempra

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Atria Investments Inc lifted its stake in Sempra by 6.4% during the third quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 47,986 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,013,000 after purchasing an additional 2,888 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Securities LLC bought a new position in Sempra during the third quarter worth about $86,000. Apollon Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Sempra by 6.6% during the third quarter. Apollon Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,883 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $910,000 after purchasing an additional 677 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its stake in Sempra by 2.1% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,445,967 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $120,926,000 after purchasing an additional 29,536 shares during the period. Finally, Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Sempra by 23.4% during the third quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 14,452 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,209,000 after purchasing an additional 2,745 shares during the period. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.