Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Given “Hold” Rating at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group restated their hold rating on shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) in a research note issued to investors on Monday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Jefferies Financial Group currently has a $77.00 price objective on the utilities provider’s stock, down from their previous price objective of $96.00.

Several other analysts have also commented on the company. UBS Group lowered Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $95.00 to $78.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $99.00 to $76.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Guggenheim cut their price objective on Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on Sempra from $100.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Sempra from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $82.92.

Sempra Stock Down 0.2 %

Sempra stock opened at $71.41 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $46.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.73, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.78. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $82.82 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $84.73. Sempra has a 12 month low of $64.89 and a 12 month high of $95.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $3.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. Sempra had a return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 22.63%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.13 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Sempra will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.645 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This is an increase from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.61%. Sempra’s payout ratio is 58.37%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of the business’s 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2 shares in the company, valued at $165.88. The trade was a 100.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 2,755 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.93, for a total value of $225,717.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 13,905 shares in the company, valued at $1,139,236.65. The trade was a 16.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sempra

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC lifted its position in shares of Sempra by 265.2% in the fourth quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.