7,492 Shares in Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Purchased by OmniStar Financial Group Inc.

OmniStar Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 7,492 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $627,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Sempra by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,963 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $377,000 after buying an additional 134 shares during the period. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in Sempra by 2.8% during the second quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,983 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $379,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sempra by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $306,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sempra by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,794 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $289,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich lifted its stake in shares of Sempra by 1.2% in the 2nd quarter. Lester Murray Antman dba SimplyRich now owns 12,558 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $955,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:SRE traded up $0.47 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $85.96. The company had a trading volume of 2,916,585 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,861,994. Sempra has a one year low of $66.40 and a one year high of $86.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.46 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.37, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.75. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $82.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $77.62.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $3.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.46 billion. Sempra had a net margin of 22.31% and a return on equity of 8.58%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.94 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Sempra will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 26th were issued a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 26th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.89%. Sempra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 52.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on SRE. Morgan Stanley raised their price target 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. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Sempra in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a "buy" rating and a $94.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Sempra from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Sempra from $90.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Sempra from $87.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 1st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $86.20.

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.