Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” from Analysts

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) has earned an average recommendation of “Buy” from the ten brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $91.20.

SRE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Sempra from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $85.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Barclays decreased their price target on Sempra from $99.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Evercore ISI raised their target price 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 started coverage on Sempra in a report on Thursday, October 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $98.00 target price for the company.

Sempra Stock Performance

Shares of Sempra stock opened at $84.19 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.32 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.78. Sempra has a 52 week low of $66.40 and a 52 week high of $95.77. 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 firm’s 50 day moving average is $84.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $84.67.

Insider Transactions at Sempra

In other news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 2,755 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.93, for a total transaction of $225,717.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 13,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,139,236.65. The trade was a 16.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.94, for a total value of $4,125,186.78. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $165.88. This represents a 100.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 76,205 shares of company stock valued at $6,558,347 in the last 90 days. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Sempra

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co increased its position in Sempra by 21.0% during the 4th quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co now owns 20,724 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,818,000 after purchasing an additional 3,601 shares in the last quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec increased its position in Sempra by 1,513.4% during the 4th quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec now owns 85,351 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,487,000 after purchasing an additional 80,061 shares in the last quarter. Soros Fund Management LLC purchased a new stake in Sempra during the 4th quarter worth about $6,140,000. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC increased its position in Sempra by 79.8% during the 4th quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 27,114 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,378,000 after purchasing an additional 12,030 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lido Advisors LLC increased its position in Sempra by 567.2% during the 4th quarter. Lido Advisors LLC now owns 102,290 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $9,036,000 after purchasing an additional 86,958 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

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.