HighPoint Advisor Group LLC Makes New $681,000 Investment in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

HighPoint Advisor Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 9,774 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $681,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Mechanics Bank Trust Department increased its position in Sempra by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department now owns 10,182 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $761,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Sempra by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 2,081 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $156,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Sempra by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 38,190 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,854,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Sandy Spring Bank raised its stake in shares of Sempra by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 18,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,391,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Presima Securities ULC lifted its holdings in Sempra by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Presima Securities ULC now owns 5,550 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $415,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH lowered their price target on Sempra from $81.50 to $79.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Sempra from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. 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 report on Wednesday, May 8th. Mizuho raised their price target on Sempra from $79.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Sempra from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $82.00.

Sempra Trading Up 0.3 %

Shares of SRE opened at $75.10 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $74.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $72.86. The company has a quick ratio of 0.57, a current ratio of 0.62 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.63, a P/E/G ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.74. Sempra has a 12-month low of $63.75 and a 12-month high of $78.83.

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

Sempra Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 27th will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 27th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.30%. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.93%.

Insider Activity at Sempra

In other Sempra news, CAO Peter R. Wall sold 6,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.07, for a total transaction of $457,927.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 14,751 shares in the company, valued at $1,107,357.57. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Sempra news, CAO Peter R. Wall sold 6,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.07, for a total value of $457,927.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 14,751 shares in the company, valued at $1,107,357.57. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard J. Mark acquired 1,925 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $77.97 per share, with a total value of $150,092.25. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 5,420 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $422,597.40. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.