B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG Takes Position in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG purchased a new position in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 66,551 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,565,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Sempra by 2.8% in the second quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,963 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $377,000 after acquiring an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Sempra by 2.8% in the second quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,983 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $379,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Marcum Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Sempra by 3.5% during the second quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $306,000 after buying an additional 137 shares in the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC increased its holdings in Sempra by 1.6% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,742 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $731,000 after buying an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Sempra by 4.0% in the second quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,794 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $289,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on SRE shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Sempra from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Sempra in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $98.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America began coverage on Sempra in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a "buy" rating and a $94.00 target price for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Sempra from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sempra has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $89.00.

Insider Transactions at Sempra

In related news, VP Trevor I. Mihalik sold 23,713 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.09, for a total transaction of $2,207,443.17. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 11,190 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,677.10. This trade represents a 67.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Sempra Trading Down 0.3 %

SRE traded down $0.26 on Wednesday, hitting $93.12. The company had a trading volume of 2,289,183 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,898,519. Sempra has a 12-month low of $66.40 and a 12-month high of $93.90. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $85.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $80.39. The company has a market cap of $58.98 billion, a PE ratio of 20.51, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $2.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.54 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.08 earnings per share. Sempra's revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Sempra will post 4.77 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.66%. Sempra's dividend payout ratio is currently 54.63%.

Sempra 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.