A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc. Raises Stock Holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc. boosted its position in Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 289.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 26,370 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 19,595 shares during the quarter. Sempra comprises approximately 1.6% of A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. A. D. Beadell Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Sempra were worth $1,881,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Sempra by 265.2% in the 4th quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Finally, Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Price Performance

SRE stock traded down $2.21 on Monday, reaching $74.64. 6,236,972 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,782,434. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $73.73 and a 200-day moving average of $78.90. Sempra has a twelve month low of $61.90 and a twelve month high of $95.77. The firm has a market cap of $48.66 billion, a PE ratio of 16.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.64. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.12. Sempra had a return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 22.63%. The firm had revenue of $3.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.34 earnings per share. Sempra's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Sempra will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 26th will be given a dividend of $0.645 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 26th. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.46%. Sempra's payout ratio is 56.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total value of $595,193.90. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 16,969 shares in the company, valued at $1,260,117.94. This represents a 32.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 4,817 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.23, for a total value of $343,114.91. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 19,778 shares in the company, valued at $1,408,786.94. This represents a 19.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SRE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Sempra from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. UBS Group downgraded Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $95.00 to $78.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Argus cut Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley set a $87.00 target price on Sempra and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 22nd. Finally, Mizuho cut their price target on Sempra from $92.00 to $76.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $80.75.

Sempra 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.