Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Shares Sold by Blue Trust Inc.

Blue Trust Inc. lessened its stake in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 68.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,015 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 4,341 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc.'s holdings in Sempra were worth $177,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Sempra by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 34,324,893 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,870,591,000 after purchasing an additional 128,847 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 1,539,026 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised 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 acquiring an additional 1,582,653 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Sempra by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 12,761,872 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,063,007,000 after acquiring an additional 145,873 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in Sempra by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 7,695,988 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $639,921,000 after acquiring an additional 129,891 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Trading Up 1.3 %

Shares of NYSE:SRE traded up $1.10 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $87.11. 4,643,959 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,261,902. 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 has a market cap of $55.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.78. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $84.36 and its 200 day simple moving average is $84.75. Sempra has a 1 year low of $66.40 and a 1 year high of $95.77.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sempra news, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 $165.88. This trade represents a 100.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 2,755 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.93, for a total transaction of $225,717.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,905 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,139,236.65. This represents a 16.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on SRE. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Sempra from $99.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, January 27th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on shares of Sempra from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Sempra in a report on Thursday, October 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $98.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Sempra from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $85.00 to $98.00 in a report on Friday, December 13th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $91.20.

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.