Simplicity Solutions LLC Sells 377 Shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Simplicity Solutions LLC trimmed its stake in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 3.8% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 9,646 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 377 shares during the quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC’s holdings in Sempra were worth $721,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. PrairieView Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Sempra by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC now owns 376 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors grew its position in shares of Sempra by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 380 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Sempra by 119.9% in the 3rd quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 398 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 217 shares during the last quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Sempra by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. now owns 400 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Essex Investment Management Co. LLC grew its position in shares of Sempra by 100.0% in the 3rd quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 390 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sempra Stock Up 2.3 %

Shares of NYSE:SRE opened at $67.94 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $70.41 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $71.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.18, a PEG ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.71. Sempra has a 12-month low of $63.75 and a 12-month high of $79.51. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $3.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.01 billion. Sempra had a return on equity of 9.45% and a net margin of 18.26%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.17 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Sempra will post 4.83 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 21st were paid a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 20th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.65%. This is a boost from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Sempra’s payout ratio is currently 51.77%.

Insider Transactions at Sempra

In other news, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 5,063 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.22, for a total value of $360,586.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,712 shares in the company, valued at $1,403,888.64. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, insider Diana L. Day sold 3,937 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.21, for a total value of $280,353.77. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 18,145 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,292,105.45. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 5,063 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.22, for a total value of $360,586.86. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,712 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,403,888.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 156,622 shares of company stock worth $11,089,713 over the last quarter. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SRE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Sempra from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $76.00 to $84.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Sempra from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Mizuho lowered their target price on Sempra from $83.00 to $79.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Barclays raised their target price on Sempra from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $82.00 target price on shares of Sempra in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $82.14.

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.