Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Sets New 1-Year High at $84.29

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) reached a new 52-week high on Monday . The stock traded as high as $84.29 and last traded at $84.12, with a volume of 597128 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $82.97.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. 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 report on Wednesday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Sempra from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Sempra from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Sempra from $90.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Sempra in a research note on Thursday. They issued a “buy” rating and a $94.00 price objective for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sempra has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $85.00.

Sempra Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $52.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.46, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $79.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $75.51.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $3.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.46 billion. Sempra had a net margin of 22.31% and a return on equity of 8.58%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.94 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Sempra will post 4.79 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 26th will be given a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.97%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 26th. Sempra’s payout ratio is 54.93%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra

In related news, CAO Peter R. Wall sold 6,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.07, for a total transaction of $457,927.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 14,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,107,357.57. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Sempra

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Sempra by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,963 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $377,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Sempra by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,983 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $379,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Sempra by 3.5% during the second quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $306,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Sempra by 3.4% in the first quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,335 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $311,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the period. Finally, Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its stake in Sempra by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 38,190 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,854,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Sempra

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.