Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Price Target Lowered to $87.00 at Guggenheim

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) had its price objective reduced by Guggenheim from $95.00 to $87.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “buy” rating on the utilities provider’s stock. Guggenheim’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 20.68% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts also recently commented on SRE. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Sempra from $96.00 to $88.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Sempra from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Sempra from $92.00 to $76.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Sempra from $99.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their target price on Sempra from $100.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.31.

Sempra Stock Up 2.1 %

Shares of NYSE:SRE traded up $1.45 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $72.09. The stock had a trading volume of 6,882,954 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,010,266. The company has a market capitalization of $45.66 billion, a PE ratio of 15.96, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $83.96 and its 200 day moving average is $84.93. Sempra has a 12 month low of $64.89 and a 12 month high of $95.77.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 22.63% and a return on equity of 8.06%. The company had revenue of $3.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.13 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Sempra will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sempra news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 2,755 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.93, for a total transaction of $225,717.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,139,236.65. This trade represents a 16.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.94, for a total transaction of $4,125,186.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2 shares in the company, valued at approximately $165.88. The trade was a 100.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Sempra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of Sempra by 265.2% in the fourth quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Sempra during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

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.