Sempra (NYSE:SRE) EVP Sells $343,114.91 in Stock

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 4,817 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.23, for a total value of $343,114.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,778 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,408,786.94. This trade represents a 19.59 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Sempra Price Performance

Shares of SRE opened at $72.93 on Thursday. Sempra has a 12 month low of $64.89 and a 12 month high of $95.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.47. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $76.45 and a 200 day moving average price of $82.92. The company has a market cap of $47.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.06, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.76.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last released 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. The business had revenue of $3.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. Sempra had a net margin of 22.63% and a return on equity of 8.06%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.13 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Sempra will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.645 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This is an increase from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.54%. Sempra’s payout ratio is currently 58.37%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays lowered Sempra from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their target price for the company from $95.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Guggenheim decreased their price objective on shares of Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the company from $99.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Mizuho decreased their price target on Sempra from $92.00 to $76.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on Sempra from $92.00 to $78.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sempra has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.33.

Institutional Trading of Sempra

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. Marcum Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of Sempra by 7.0% in the first quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 4,653 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $332,000 after purchasing an additional 305 shares in the last quarter. Centre Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Sempra by 3.3% in the first quarter. Centre Asset Management LLC now owns 4,986 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $356,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Sempra by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 159,975 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $14,033,000 after buying an additional 17,974 shares in the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its stake in Sempra by 51.8% during the 4th quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 14,456 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,268,000 after buying an additional 4,936 shares during the period. Finally, Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sempra during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.