NBC Securities Inc. Has $5.09 Million Position in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

NBC Securities Inc. boosted its position in Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 101,740.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 71,288 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 71,218 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc.'s holdings in Sempra were worth $5,087,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Sempra in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Sempra in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sempra in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Sempra by 265.2% in the 4th 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 last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Sempra in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Stock Performance

Shares of SRE traded down $0.05 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $76.38. 806,256 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,757,059. Sempra has a 52 week low of $61.90 and a 52 week high of $95.77. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $73.54 and its 200-day simple moving average is $79.34. The firm has a market cap of $49.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.63. 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 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. Sempra had a net margin of 22.63% and a return on equity of 8.06%. The company had revenue of $3.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.90 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.34 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Sempra will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 26th will be issued a $0.645 dividend. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.38%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 26th. Sempra's dividend payout ratio is presently 56.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra

In related news, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the firm's 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 owns 16,969 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,260,117.94. This trade represents a 32.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael N. Mears acquired 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $67.70 per share, for a total transaction of $67,700.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 5,000 shares in the company, valued at $338,500. This represents a 25.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have acquired 8,619 shares of company stock valued at $602,221. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on SRE shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Sempra from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Argus downgraded shares of Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Barclays cut Sempra from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $95.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, February 27th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Sempra from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Guggenheim dropped their price target on Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.