Brookmont Capital Management Increases Holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Brookmont Capital Management grew its holdings in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 2.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,892 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 532 shares during the quarter. Brookmont Capital Management’s holdings in Sempra were worth $1,357,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Sempra in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Sempra by 195.1% in the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 419 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Sempra in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in Sempra in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, BKM Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Sempra in the 4th quarter worth about $45,000. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sempra Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE SRE traded up $0.13 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $76.07. 4,925,606 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,031,855. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $75.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $73.02. Sempra has a one year low of $63.75 and a one year high of $78.83. The company has a market cap of $47.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.85, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.74.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.34 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $5.58 billion. Sempra had a net margin of 20.99% and a return on equity of 8.95%. Sempra’s revenue was down 44.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Sempra will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 27th will be paid a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 27th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.26%. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra

In related news, Director Richard J. Mark purchased 1,925 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $77.97 per share, with a total value of $150,092.25. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 5,420 shares in the company, valued at approximately $422,597.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, Director Richard J. Mark purchased 1,925 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $77.97 per share, with a total value of $150,092.25. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 5,420 shares in the company, valued at approximately $422,597.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Peter R. Wall sold 6,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.07, for a total transaction of $457,927.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 14,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,107,357.57. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on SRE. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Sempra from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Sempra in a research report on Wednesday, March 6th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH reduced their target price on shares of Sempra from $81.50 to $79.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Sempra from $79.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. Finally, Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Sempra from $79.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $82.10.

Sempra 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.