Insider Selling: Sempra (NYSE:SRE) CEO Sells 49,737 Shares of Stock

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $165.88. This trade represents a 100.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Sempra Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE:SRE opened at $83.34 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $87.06 and a 200 day moving average of $84.27. The company has a market cap of $52.79 billion, a PE ratio of 18.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.78. Sempra has a 12-month low of $66.40 and a 12-month high of $95.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by ($0.16). Sempra had a return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 22.63%. The firm had revenue of $2.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.54 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.08 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Sempra will post 4.77 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 5th were given a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.98%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 5th. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.63%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in Sempra in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Hollencrest Capital Management lifted its stake in Sempra by 250.0% in the 3rd 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. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Sempra by 225.6% during 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 during the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC grew its position in shares of Sempra by 180.4% during the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 443 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Sempra from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $85.00 to $98.00 in a report on Friday, December 13th. Barclays lowered their price target on Sempra from $99.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Sempra in a report on Thursday, October 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $98.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI increased their target price on Sempra from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $91.20.

About Sempra

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.