PharVision Advisers LLC Makes New Investment in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

PharVision Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 4,382 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $384,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of SRE. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Sempra in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sempra during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Sempra during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC grew 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 valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 244 shares during the period. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Sempra in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Stock Down 0.4%

SRE opened at $78.14 on Wednesday. Sempra has a fifty-two week low of $61.90 and a fifty-two week high of $95.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.21, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.63. The company's 50-day moving average is $71.92 and its 200 day moving average is $80.15. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.47.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $3.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.34 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Sempra will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 26th will be given a $0.645 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 26th. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%. Sempra's dividend payout ratio is currently 56.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra

In other Sempra news, Director Michael N. Mears bought 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $67.70 per share, for a total transaction of $67,700.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $338,500. This trade represents a 25.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the 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. The trade was a 32.08% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders acquired 9,319 shares of company stock worth $651,676 in the last quarter. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SRE has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup cut their price target on Sempra from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Guggenheim reduced their price target on shares of Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Sempra from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Argus lowered shares of Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Sempra from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $80.77.

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.

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