Empower Advisory Group LLC Buys 27,439 Shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Empower Advisory Group LLC raised its position in Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 2.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,044,270 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 27,439 shares during the period. Empower Advisory Group LLC owned 0.16% of Sempra worth $87,332,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in Sempra in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sempra during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Hollencrest Capital Management lifted its position in shares of Sempra by 250.0% during the third quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 378 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sempra during the second quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sempra during the second quarter worth approximately $34,000. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Trading Up 0.2 %

NYSE:SRE traded up $0.19 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $92.39. The stock had a trading volume of 2,167,555 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,893,169. Sempra has a one year low of $66.40 and a one year high of $93.12. 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 company has a market cap of $58.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.75. The business's 50 day moving average is $83.99 and its 200-day moving average is $79.60.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.05 by ($0.16). Sempra had a net margin of 22.63% and a return on equity of 8.06%. The firm had revenue of $2.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.54 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.08 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Sempra will post 4.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.68%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 5th. Sempra's dividend payout ratio is 54.63%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Sempra from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Sempra in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a "buy" rating and a $94.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Sempra from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Sempra from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sempra presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $89.00.

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.