Centaurus Financial Inc. Grows Position in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Centaurus Financial Inc. boosted its position in Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 51.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,456 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 4,936 shares during the quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc.'s holdings in Sempra were worth $1,268,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of SRE. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Sempra in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sempra by 265.2% during the fourth quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the period. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:SRE traded up $0.52 on Friday, hitting $78.47. 8,580,537 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,770,097. Sempra has a 52 week low of $61.90 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 stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $73.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $79.63. The company has a market cap of $51.16 billion, a PE ratio of 17.28, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.63.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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. Sempra had a return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 22.63%. The firm had revenue of $3.80 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.90 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.34 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Sempra will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.645 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 26th. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.29%. Sempra's payout ratio is presently 56.70%.

Insider Activity at Sempra

In related news, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total transaction of $595,193.90. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 16,969 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,260,117.94. This trade represents a 32.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Cynthia J. Warner acquired 700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $70.65 per share, for a total transaction of $49,455.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 8,759 shares of the company's stock, valued at $618,823.35. The trade was a 8.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have acquired 9,319 shares of company stock valued at $651,676 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on SRE shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Sempra from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $99.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Guggenheim dropped their price objective on Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on Sempra from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on Sempra from $92.00 to $76.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.