Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Shares Bought by Merit Financial Group LLC

Merit Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 171.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,107 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 7,012 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Sempra were worth $793,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Sempra Stock Performance

SRE traded up $0.14 during trading on Thursday, reaching $76.12. 2,698,194 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,781,303. Sempra has a 52 week low of $61.90 and a 52 week 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. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $74.07 and a 200 day moving average of $78.72. The stock has a market cap of $49.62 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.77, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.64.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $3.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. Sempra had a net margin of 22.63% and a return on equity of 8.06%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.34 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Sempra will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.39%. Sempra's dividend payout ratio is presently 56.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on SRE. Morgan Stanley set a $87.00 price objective on shares of Sempra and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. Citigroup decreased their price target on Sempra from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price objective for the company from $99.00 to $76.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Sempra from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Sempra from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $80.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sempra news, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total transaction of $595,193.90. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 16,969 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,260,117.94. This trade represents a 32.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Pablo Ferrero purchased 2,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $70.96 per share, for a total transaction of $184,496.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 15,649 shares in the company, valued at $1,110,453.04. This represents a 19.92% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

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.