Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. Sells 29,706 Shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. trimmed its position in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,939,311 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 29,706 shares during the period. Sempra accounts for 1.9% of Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest holding. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. owned 0.31% of Sempra worth $162,185,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Eastern Bank acquired a new stake in Sempra in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hollencrest Capital Management raised its holdings in shares of Sempra by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 378 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Sempra in the second quarter worth $33,000. Finally, LRI Investments LLC increased its position in Sempra by 180.4% during the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 443 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Sempra from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Sempra from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, December 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Sempra in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $98.00 target price on the stock. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on shares of Sempra from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. One investment 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $89.91.

Sempra Stock Performance

Sempra stock traded down $0.79 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $88.81. The stock had a trading volume of 3,015,556 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,925,323. The company has a 50-day moving average of $87.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $81.80. 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 has a fifty-two week low of $66.40 and a fifty-two week high of $95.77. The company has a market cap of $56.25 billion, a PE ratio of 19.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.77.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.08 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Sempra will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 5th will be paid a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.79%. Sempra's payout ratio is currently 54.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sempra news, VP Trevor I. Mihalik sold 23,713 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 11,190 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,041,677.10. This trade represents a 67.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

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.