Waverly Advisors LLC Takes Position in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Waverly Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 3,258 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $286,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its position in Sempra by 5.4% during the fourth 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 raised its holdings in Sempra by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 8,194 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $719,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Sempra by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,585 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $227,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in shares of Sempra by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 6,195 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $543,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Sempra by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,639 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $232,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Sempra Price Performance

Shares of SRE stock traded up $0.38 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $77.88. The company had a trading volume of 1,252,245 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,739,235. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.52. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $72.77 and a 200-day moving average of $79.83. Sempra has a 12-month low of $61.90 and a 12-month high of $95.77. The company has a market capitalization of $50.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.13, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.63.

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, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $3.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.90 billion. Sempra had a return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 22.63%. Sempra's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.34 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Sempra will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 26th will be given a $0.645 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 26th. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. Sempra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Cynthia J. Warner bought 700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $70.65 per share, with a total value of $49,455.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 8,759 shares in the company, valued at approximately $618,823.35. The trade was a 8.69% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael N. Mears purchased 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, with a total value of $67,700.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 5,000 shares of the company's stock, 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 three months, insiders have acquired 9,319 shares of company stock valued at $651,676. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SRE has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their target price for the company from $99.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Sempra from $92.00 to $76.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Argus downgraded Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. 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 research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered 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 analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sempra has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $80.62.

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.