Jeffrey W. Martin Sells 49,737 Shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Stock

Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.94, for a total value of $4,125,186.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2 shares in the company, valued at $165.88. This trade represents a 100.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Sempra Stock Down 0.4 %

NYSE:SRE traded down $0.32 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $82.62. 1,271,773 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,861,014. 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 market capitalization of $52.33 billion, a PE ratio of 18.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.78. The business has a 50-day moving average of $86.60 and a two-hundred day moving average of $84.41. Sempra has a 12-month low of $66.40 and a 12-month high of $95.77.

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

Sempra Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 5th were issued a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.00%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 5th. Sempra's payout ratio is presently 54.63%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Sempra from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price target for the stock from $85.00 to $98.00 in a research note on Friday, December 13th. Barclays reduced their price objective on Sempra from $99.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Sempra from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on Sempra from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sempra currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $91.20.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sempra

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in Sempra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in Sempra during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Hollencrest Capital Management increased its stake 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 buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Sempra by 225.6% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 433 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% 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.