Insider Buying: Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Director Buys $350,025.06 in Stock

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Director James C. Yardley bought 5,019 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $69.74 per share, for a total transaction of $350,025.06. Following the purchase, the director now owns 5,019 shares in the company, valued at approximately $350,025.06. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

Sempra Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SRE opened at $70.30 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The business’s 50 day moving average is $79.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $83.98. The company has a market cap of $45.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.76. Sempra has a 12 month low of $64.89 and a 12 month high of $95.77.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $3.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. Sempra had a return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 22.63%. Sempra’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.13 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that Sempra will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.645 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This is a boost from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.67%. Sempra’s payout ratio is currently 58.37%.

Institutional Trading of Sempra

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Sempra in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Sempra in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Sempra in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC grew its position in Sempra by 265.2% in the fourth quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the period. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SRE has been the subject of several research reports. UBS Group lowered Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $95.00 to $78.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Guggenheim reduced their target price on Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and issued a $77.00 target price (down from $96.00) on shares of Sempra in a report on Monday, March 3rd. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Sempra from $92.00 to $78.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $99.00 to $76.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sempra has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $81.50.

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.