Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) have received an average rating of “Buy” from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a buy recommendation. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $91.20.

Several research analysts recently commented on SRE shares. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of Sempra from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays cut their price target on shares of Sempra from $99.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Sempra from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $85.00 to $98.00 in a report on Friday, December 13th.

Sempra Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE SRE opened at $87.11 on Monday. Sempra has a one year low of $66.40 and a one year high of $95.77. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $84.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $84.92. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $55.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.19, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.78.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.94, for a total transaction of $4,125,186.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $165.88. This trade represents a 100.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 2,755 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.93, for a total transaction of $225,717.15. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,139,236.65. The trade was a 16.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Sempra

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Sempra in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Sempra in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in Sempra in the third quarter worth $28,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Sempra in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Sempra by 265.2% in the fourth quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

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.