A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc. Grows Stake in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its stake in Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 289.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 26,370 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 19,595 shares during the quarter. Sempra makes up approximately 1.6% of A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest holding. A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Sempra were worth $1,881,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its position in Sempra by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 2,410 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $211,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Sempra by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 8,194 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $719,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Sempra by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,585 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $227,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in Sempra by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 6,195 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $543,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the period. Finally, Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. grew its stake in Sempra by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,639 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $232,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Sempra

In other news, Director James C. Yardley acquired 5,019 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $69.74 per share, with a total value of $350,025.06. Following the purchase, the director now owns 5,019 shares of the company's stock, valued at $350,025.06. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Michael N. Mears acquired 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $67.70 per share, with a total value of $67,700.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 5,000 shares in the company, valued at $338,500. The trade was a 25.00% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased 8,619 shares of company stock worth $602,221 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Sempra Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE:SRE opened at $75.81 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $49.42 billion, a PE ratio of 16.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.63. Sempra has a 52-week low of $61.90 and a 52-week high of $95.77. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $73.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $79.22. 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 (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $3.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.90 billion. Sempra had a return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 22.63%. The company's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.34 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Sempra will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 26th will be given a $0.645 dividend. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 26th. Sempra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have weighed in on SRE. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Sempra from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Sempra from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Sempra from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Sempra from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $87.00 price objective on shares of Sempra and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $80.75.

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.

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