Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Sets New 1-Year High at $84.29

Shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $84.29 and last traded at $84.12, with a volume of 597128 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $82.97.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SRE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays raised their price target on shares of Sempra from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 13th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on shares of Sempra from $90.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Sempra from $77.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 23rd. Bank of America started coverage on shares of Sempra in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $94.00 target price for the company. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Sempra from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $85.00.

Sempra Trading Down 1.2 %

The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $80.16 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84. The company has a market cap of $52.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.75.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $3.01 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.46 billion. Sempra had a net margin of 22.31% and a return on equity of 8.58%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 9.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.94 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Sempra will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, September 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, September 26th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.99%. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.93%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sempra

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sempra by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,963 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $377,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Sempra by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,983 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $379,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Sempra by 3.5% in the 2nd quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $306,000 after acquiring an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. grew its holdings in Sempra by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 38,190 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,854,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Sempra by 4.0% in the 2nd quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,794 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $289,000 after acquiring an additional 147 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.