Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Sells 20,943 Shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio decreased its stake in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 6.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 298,988 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 20,943 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio’s holdings in Sempra were worth $21,476,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Sempra during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Sempra by 195.1% during the 4th quarter. JFS Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 419 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 277 shares during the period. Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new position in Sempra during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Planned Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in Sempra during the 4th quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Rational Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Sempra during the 1st quarter valued at about $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Stock Performance

NYSE SRE traded up $0.78 on Monday, hitting $79.33. 969,068 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,982,260. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Sempra has a 1-year low of $63.75 and a 1-year high of $80.54. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $76.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $73.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.99 billion, a PE ratio of 17.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.74.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.34 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 analyst estimates of $5.58 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.46 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 44.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Sempra will post 4.8 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 27th were paid a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 27th. Sempra’s payout ratio is 54.93%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SRE has been the topic of a number of research reports. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Sempra from $79.00 to $86.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, May 17th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective 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. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Sempra from $86.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Sempra from $79.00 to $76.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 24th. Finally, LADENBURG THALM/SH SH cut their price objective on shares of Sempra from $81.50 to $79.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $82.10.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra

In other news, Director Richard J. Mark bought 1,925 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $77.97 per share, for a total transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, CAO Peter R. Wall sold 6,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 14,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,107,357.57. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard J. Mark bought 1,925 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 17th. The stock was purchased 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 owns 5,420 shares in the company, valued at $422,597.40. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.24% 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.