Erste Asset Management GmbH Buys Shares of 32,601 Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Erste Asset Management GmbH purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 32,601 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,707,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of SRE. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in Sempra in the third quarter valued at about $28,000. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in Sempra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Hollencrest Capital Management boosted its holdings in Sempra by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 378 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Sempra in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sempra Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SRE traded down $0.10 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $92.00. The stock had a trading volume of 4,018,265 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,917,146. 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 stock has a market cap of $58.27 billion, a PE ratio of 20.26, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.77. Sempra has a one year low of $66.40 and a one year high of $95.77. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $87.09 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $81.53.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.05 by ($0.16). Sempra had a net margin of 22.63% and a return on equity of 8.06%. The business had revenue of $2.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.08 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Sempra will post 4.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.70%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 5th. Sempra's payout ratio is 54.63%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on SRE shares. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Sempra from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Sempra in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $98.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Sempra from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Sempra from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $89.91.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Trevor I. Mihalik sold 23,713 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.09, for a total transaction of $2,207,443.17. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 11,190 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,041,677.10. The trade was a 67.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.