B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Cuts Stock Holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG cut its stake in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 37.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 41,539 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 25,012 shares during the quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in Sempra were worth $3,644,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Sempra during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Sempra in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Sempra during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sempra by 265.2% in the 4th quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Transactions at Sempra

In other Sempra news, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 4,817 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.23, for a total value of $343,114.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,778 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,408,786.94. This represents a 19.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $165.88. This represents a 100.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have purchased 9,319 shares of company stock worth $651,676 and have sold 57,309 shares worth $4,694,019. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have weighed in on SRE. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Sempra from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. UBS Group downgraded Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $95.00 to $78.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Guggenheim reduced their target price on shares of Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and issued a $77.00 price target (down from $96.00) on shares of Sempra in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Argus lowered shares of Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $81.33.

Sempra Stock Performance

NYSE SRE traded down $4.84 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $65.89. The stock had a trading volume of 6,643,959 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,622,739. Sempra has a 52-week low of $64.89 and a 52-week high of $95.77. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $75.87 and a 200 day moving average of $82.71. 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 $42.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.65.

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

Sempra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.645 dividend. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.92%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This is a boost from Sempra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. Sempra's payout ratio is 58.37%.

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.