AA Financial Advisors LLC Acquires 308 Shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

AA Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 7.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,632 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 308 shares during the period. AA Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Sempra were worth $331,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Sempra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Sempra in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Sempra by 265.2% during the 4th quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sempra during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Price Performance

NYSE SRE opened at $73.77 on Tuesday. Sempra has a one year low of $61.90 and a one year high of $95.77. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $74.72 and a 200 day moving average of $78.10. 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 capitalization of $48.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.25, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.64.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.12. Sempra had a net margin of 22.63% and a return on equity of 8.06%. The firm had revenue of $3.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.34 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Sempra will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 26th will be paid a $0.645 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 26th. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.50%. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on SRE. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Sempra from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Sempra from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $87.00 price target on shares of Sempra and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 22nd. UBS Group cut shares of Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $95.00 to $78.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group cut shares of Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $99.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sempra presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 4,817 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.23, for a total value of $343,114.91. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,778 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,408,786.94. This trade represents a 19.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total transaction of $595,193.90. Following the sale, the insider now owns 16,969 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,260,117.94. This trade represents a 32.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.