Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Shares Sold by EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC

EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC lessened its stake in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 9.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,389 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 347 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Sempra were worth $297,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SRE. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Sempra by 0.4% in the third quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 34,324,893 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,870,591,000 after acquiring an additional 128,847 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its stake in Sempra by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 32,940,620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,774,974,000 after purchasing an additional 1,539,026 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in Sempra by 9.1% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 18,978,605 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,587,181,000 after purchasing an additional 1,582,653 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Sempra by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,761,872 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,063,007,000 after purchasing an additional 145,873 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Sempra by 1.7% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,695,988 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $639,921,000 after buying an additional 129,891 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sempra Stock Up 3.6 %

Shares of NYSE:SRE opened at $70.30 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.80 billion, a PE ratio of 15.48, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.47. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $79.57 and its two-hundred day moving average is $83.98.

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

Sempra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.645 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.67%. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.94, for a total value of $4,125,186.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2 shares in the company, valued at approximately $165.88. This trade represents a 100.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Michael N. Mears purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $67.70 per share, with a total value of $67,700.00. Following the acquisition, the director now directly owns 5,000 shares in the company, valued at $338,500. This represents a 25.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders purchased 6,719 shares of company stock valued at $467,180 in the last three months. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SRE has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $99.00 to $76.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Sempra from $96.00 to $88.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. UBS Group downgraded Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $95.00 to $78.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Sempra from $100.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Barclays lowered Sempra from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $95.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Four 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 data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $81.50.

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.