Brokerages Set Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Price Target at $82.10

Shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) have been assigned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $82.10.

Several research firms recently weighed in on SRE. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Sempra from $79.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Barclays lifted their target price on Sempra from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Mizuho lifted their target price on Sempra from $79.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Sempra from $86.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lowered their target price on Sempra from $81.50 to $79.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th.

Sempra Stock Performance

Shares of SRE opened at $77.02 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.57. Sempra has a one year low of $63.75 and a one year high of $78.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.06, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.74. The business has a fifty day moving average of $75.89 and a 200 day moving average of $73.08.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.35 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $3.64 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $5.58 billion. Sempra had a return on equity of 8.95% and a net margin of 20.99%. The business’s revenue was down 44.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.46 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Sempra will post 4.8 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 27th will be given a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 27th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.22%. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Peter R. Wall sold 6,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.07, for a total value of $457,927.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 14,751 shares in the company, valued at $1,107,357.57. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, Director Richard J. Mark acquired 1,925 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction on Friday, May 17th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $77.97 per share, with a total value of $150,092.25. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,420 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $422,597.40. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Peter R. Wall sold 6,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.07, for a total value of $457,927.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 14,751 shares in the company, valued at $1,107,357.57. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sempra

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Sempra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Sempra by 195.1% during the fourth quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 419 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 277 shares during the last quarter. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Planned Solutions Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Rational Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Sempra during the first quarter valued at approximately $43,000. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.