Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Price Target Lowered to $95.00 at Barclays

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) had its target price reduced by Barclays from $99.00 to $95.00 in a report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an overweight rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Sempra from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $85.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Sempra from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Sempra from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Sempra in a report on Thursday, October 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $98.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Sempra currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $91.20.

Sempra Stock Performance

Shares of SRE stock opened at $82.09 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $87.28 and a two-hundred day moving average of $84.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.99 billion, a PE ratio of 18.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.78. 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 has a 52 week low of $66.40 and a 52 week high of $95.77.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $2.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.54 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 down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.08 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Sempra will post 4.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 5th were paid a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 5th. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 54.63%.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Trevor I. Mihalik sold 23,713 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.09, for a total value of $2,207,443.17. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 11,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,041,677.10. The trade was a 67.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sempra

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sempra by 1.6% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,742 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $731,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI boosted its position in Sempra by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI now owns 6,677 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $586,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Sempra by 0.3% in the third quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 46,518 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $3,890,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. CX Institutional grew its holdings in Sempra by 5.5% in the third quarter. CX Institutional now owns 3,083 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $258,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its position in shares of Sempra by 4.2% in the third quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 4,031 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $337,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

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.