Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Receives Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) has been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $82.14.

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on SRE shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Sempra from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 21st. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Sempra from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Sempra in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Sempra from $83.00 to $79.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH initiated coverage on shares of Sempra in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $81.50 target price on the stock.

Insider Activity at Sempra

In related news, VP Trevor I. Mihalik sold 57,571 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.59, for a total value of $4,063,936.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,922 shares in the company, valued at approximately $770,983.98. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Sempra news, insider Diana L. Day sold 3,937 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.21, for a total value of $280,353.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,145 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,292,105.45. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Trevor I. Mihalik sold 57,571 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.59, for a total transaction of $4,063,936.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $770,983.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 122,432 shares of company stock worth $8,668,035. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of SRE. CWM LLC boosted its holdings in Sempra by 97.5% in the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 12,483 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $849,000 after purchasing an additional 6,163 shares during the period. AE Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in Sempra by 118.6% in the 3rd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 18,796 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,279,000 after purchasing an additional 10,198 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Sempra by 119.9% in the 3rd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 398 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 217 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its holdings in Sempra by 123.5% in the 3rd quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 6,498 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $442,000 after purchasing an additional 3,591 shares during the period. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Sempra by 118.0% in the 3rd quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 4,704 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $313,000 after purchasing an additional 2,546 shares during the period. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Sempra Price Performance

SRE stock opened at $71.32 on Tuesday. Sempra has a 1 year low of $63.75 and a 1 year high of $79.30. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.08 billion, a PE ratio of 14.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.54 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The company’s 50-day moving average is $70.55 and its 200-day moving average is $71.70.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.02. Sempra had a net margin of 18.26% and a return on equity of 9.45%. The business had revenue of $3.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.17 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that Sempra will post 4.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 21st were paid a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.48%. This is a positive change from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 20th. Sempra’s payout ratio is currently 51.77%.

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.