Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $82.14.

Several research analysts have weighed in on SRE shares. Mizuho reduced their target price on Sempra from $83.00 to $79.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Royal Bank of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Sempra in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Sempra from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. StockNews.com downgraded Sempra from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH assumed coverage on Sempra in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $81.50 target price on the stock.

Insider Transactions at Sempra

In related news, insider Diana L. Day sold 3,937 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 18,145 shares in the company, valued at $1,292,105.45. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In related news, VP Trevor I. Mihalik sold 57,571 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.59, for a total value of $4,063,936.89. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,922 shares in the company, valued at $770,983.98. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, insider Diana L. Day sold 3,937 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the insider now owns 18,145 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,292,105.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 156,622 shares of company stock worth $11,089,713 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Sempra by 101.8% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 62,117,948 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,225,884,000 after purchasing an additional 31,334,782 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Sempra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $958,253,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Sempra by 101.4% during the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 24,206,231 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,646,750,000 after purchasing an additional 12,184,568 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its position in Sempra by 147.0% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 14,360,225 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $976,926,000 after purchasing an additional 8,546,205 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Newport Trust Company LLC raised its position in Sempra by 104.0% during the third quarter. Newport Trust Company LLC now owns 14,416,527 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $980,756,000 after purchasing an additional 7,348,746 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Stock Performance

SRE stock opened at $71.13 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $70.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.63. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The firm has a market cap of $44.96 billion, a PE ratio of 14.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.71. Sempra has a 1-year low of $63.75 and a 1-year high of $79.38.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $3.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. Sempra had a return on equity of 9.45% and a net margin of 18.26%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.17 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast that Sempra will post 4.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 21st were issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.49%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 20th. This is a boost from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Sempra’s payout ratio is currently 51.77%.

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.