Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Shares Acquired by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS grew its position in Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 6.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,263,421 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 78,521 shares during the period. Sempra comprises approximately 0.6% of Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Public School Empls Retrmt SYS’s holdings in Sempra were worth $90,752,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Crestline Management LP raised its position in shares of Sempra by 14.0% in the fourth quarter. Crestline Management LP now owns 119,174 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $8,906,000 after acquiring an additional 14,674 shares during the period. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd raised its position in shares of Sempra by 13.5% in the fourth quarter. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd now owns 172,129 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $12,863,000 after acquiring an additional 20,469 shares during the period. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Sempra by 932.2% during the fourth quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 43,848 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,277,000 after purchasing an additional 39,600 shares in the last quarter. CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter worth about $9,715,000. Finally, D.A. Davidson & CO. increased its stake in shares of Sempra by 14.4% during the fourth quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 41,202 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,079,000 after purchasing an additional 5,197 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Price Performance

NYSE SRE traded up $0.35 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $76.37. 3,671,374 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,008,858. Sempra has a 52-week low of $63.75 and a 52-week high of $78.83. The company has a market capitalization of $48.12 billion, a PE ratio of 16.91, a PEG ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87, a current ratio of 0.62 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $76.09 and its 200-day moving average is $73.11.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.35 by ($0.01). Sempra had a net margin of 20.99% and a return on equity of 8.95%. The business had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $5.58 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.46 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 44.5% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Sempra will post 4.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 27th were paid a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 27th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.25%. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.93%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Richard J. Mark purchased 1,925 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $77.97 per share, with a total value of $150,092.25. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,420 shares in the company, valued at approximately $422,597.40. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other news, CAO Peter R. Wall sold 6,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.07, for a total value of $457,927.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 14,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,107,357.57. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard J. Mark acquired 1,925 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 17th. The stock was bought at an average price of $77.97 per share, for a total transaction of $150,092.25. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 5,420 shares in the company, valued at approximately $422,597.40. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Sempra from $86.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of Sempra from $79.00 to $76.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Sempra from $79.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Sempra from $79.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 17th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH cut their target price on shares of Sempra from $81.50 to $79.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $82.10.

Sempra 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.