Michael N. Mears Buys 1,000 Shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Stock

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Director Michael N. Mears purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $67.70 per share, with a total value of $67,700.00. Following the purchase, the director now owns 5,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $338,500. The trade was a 25.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Sempra Stock Down 1.1 %

SRE stock traded down $0.77 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $68.70. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 6,674,799 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,665,300. Sempra has a 12 month low of $64.89 and a 12 month high of $95.77. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $81.06 and its 200-day moving average is $84.36. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $44.75 billion, a PE ratio of 15.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.76.

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

Sempra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.645 dividend. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.76%. This is an increase from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.37%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on SRE. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and set a $77.00 target price (down previously from $96.00) on shares of Sempra in a report on Monday, March 3rd. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Sempra from $92.00 to $78.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Barclays downgraded shares of Sempra from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $95.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Mizuho cut their price target on Sempra from $92.00 to $76.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Guggenheim reduced their price objective on shares of Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sempra has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.50.

Institutional Trading of Sempra

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of SRE. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new position in Sempra during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Sempra in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sempra by 265.2% during the fourth quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sempra in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.