James C. Yardley Acquires 5,019 Shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Stock

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Director James C. Yardley purchased 5,019 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $69.74 per share, with a total value of $350,025.06. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,019 shares in the company, valued at $350,025.06. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Sempra Stock Up 3.6 %

Sempra stock opened at $70.30 on Friday. Sempra has a twelve month low of $64.89 and a twelve month high of $95.77. The business has a fifty day moving average of $79.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $83.97. The firm has a market cap of $45.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last issued 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 return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 22.63%. The firm had revenue of $3.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.13 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Sempra will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.645 per share. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.67%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. Sempra’s payout ratio is 58.37%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sempra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Sempra during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Sempra during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Sempra in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SRE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays lowered Sempra from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $95.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $77.00 price objective (down previously from $96.00) on shares of Sempra in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Guggenheim dropped their target price 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. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $99.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Sempra from $96.00 to $88.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.50.

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.