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

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) has been assigned an average rating of “Buy” from the ten research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $91.60.

SRE has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Bank of America started coverage on Sempra in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $94.00 target price on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Sempra in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $98.00 price target for the company. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Sempra from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on shares of Sempra from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd.

Sempra Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NYSE:SRE opened at $87.67 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.47. Sempra has a 1 year low of $66.40 and a 1 year high of $95.77. The company has a market cap of $55.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.31, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.78. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $89.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $83.35.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.05 by ($0.16). Sempra had a net margin of 22.63% and a return on equity of 8.06%. The company had revenue of $2.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.54 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.08 EPS. Sempra’s revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Sempra will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.83%. Sempra’s payout ratio is 54.63%.

Insider Activity at Sempra

In related news, VP Trevor I. Mihalik sold 23,713 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.09, for a total transaction of $2,207,443.17. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 11,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,041,677.10. This trade represents a 67.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sempra

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Eastern Bank bought a new position in shares of Sempra during the third quarter worth $28,000. Hollencrest Capital Management boosted its holdings in shares of Sempra by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 378 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sempra during the second quarter valued at about $33,000. SouthState Corp increased its holdings in shares of Sempra by 900.0% in the second quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 470 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 423 shares during the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sempra by 180.4% in the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 443 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.