Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Sets New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Sempra (NYSE:SRE)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The stock traded as low as $61.90 and last traded at $62.56, with a volume of 417053 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $65.88.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SRE has been the topic of several research reports. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Sempra from $92.00 to $78.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Argus downgraded shares of Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $77.00 price objective (down previously from $96.00) on shares of Sempra in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Sempra from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, UBS Group lowered Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $95.00 to $78.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $81.33.

Sempra Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $75.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $82.70. The firm has a market cap of $41.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.47.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $3.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. Sempra had a return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 22.63%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.13 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Sempra will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $0.645 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This is an increase from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.04%. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio is 58.37%.

Insider Activity at Sempra

In related news, Director Cynthia J. Warner bought 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $70.65 per share, with a total value of $49,455.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now owns 8,759 shares in the company, valued at $618,823.35. This represents a 8.69 % increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 2,755 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.93, for a total value of $225,717.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 13,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,139,236.65. The trade was a 16.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders purchased 9,319 shares of company stock worth $651,676 and sold 57,309 shares worth $4,694,019. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sempra

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Sempra in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sempra in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Sempra in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sempra by 265.2% in the 4th quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the period. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Sempra during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.