Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Downgraded by Argus to “Hold”

Argus lowered shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports.

SRE has been the subject of a number of other reports. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Sempra from $92.00 to $76.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $77.00 price target (down from $96.00) on shares of Sempra in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group downgraded shares of Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $95.00 to $78.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on shares of Sempra from $96.00 to $88.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Sempra from $100.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.58.

Sempra Stock Performance

Sempra stock opened at $70.10 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $78.55 and a 200-day moving average of $83.66. The firm has a market cap of $45.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.76. Sempra has a 1-year low of $64.89 and a 1-year high of $95.77.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.03. Sempra had a net margin of 22.63% and a return on equity of 8.06%. The company had revenue of $3.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.13 earnings per share. Sempra’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Sempra will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.645 per share. This is a boost from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.68%. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.37%.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director James C. Yardley bought 5,019 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average price of $69.74 per share, for a total transaction of $350,025.06. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now owns 5,019 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $350,025.06. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Pablo Ferrero bought 2,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was bought at an average price of $70.96 per share, for a total transaction of $184,496.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 15,649 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,110,453.04. The trade was a 19.92 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought a total of 9,319 shares of company stock worth $651,676 over the last 90 days. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sempra

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its holdings in Sempra by 5.4% in the fourth quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 2,410 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $211,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Sempra by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 8,194 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $719,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Sempra by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,585 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $227,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV boosted its holdings in Sempra by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 6,195 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $543,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sempra by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,639 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $232,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during 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.