Empower Advisory Group LLC Acquires 26,821 Shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Empower Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 2.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,071,091 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 26,821 shares during the period. Empower Advisory Group LLC owned 0.17% of Sempra worth $93,956,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in SRE. FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Sempra by 9.1% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 18,978,605 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,587,181,000 after purchasing an additional 1,582,653 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its stake in shares of Sempra by 4.9% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 32,940,620 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,774,974,000 after purchasing an additional 1,539,026 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI grew its position in Sempra by 201.2% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 620,394 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $51,882,000 after buying an additional 414,406 shares in the last quarter. Unigestion Holding SA acquired a new stake in Sempra during the third quarter worth about $33,023,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can grew its position in Sempra by 38.3% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,420,045 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $118,219,000 after buying an additional 393,277 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sempra Price Performance

NYSE SRE traded up $0.67 during trading on Thursday, reaching $86.01. 2,293,636 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,250,325. The company has a market cap of $54.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.52. Sempra has a 1-year low of $66.40 and a 1-year high of $95.77. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $84.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $84.74.

Insider Transactions at Sempra

In other news, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.94, for a total value of $4,125,186.78. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2 shares of the company's stock, valued at $165.88. The trade was a 100.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 2,755 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.93, for a total value of $225,717.15. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,905 shares in the company, valued at $1,139,236.65. The trade was a 16.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SRE has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Sempra in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $98.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley raised Sempra from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $85.00 to $98.00 in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Sempra from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Barclays decreased their target price on Sempra from $99.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $91.20.

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.