Envestnet Asset Management Inc. Trims Holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 1.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,429,237 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 16,858 shares during the period. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned 0.23% of Sempra worth $125,373,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sempra in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Sempra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sempra by 265.2% during the 4th quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Price Performance

SRE stock traded up $1.46 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $68.36. The company had a trading volume of 4,169,530 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,684,997. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.47. Sempra has a 1-year low of $61.90 and a 1-year high of $95.77. The company has a market capitalization of $44.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $73.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $81.88.

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

Sempra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.645 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.77%. This is a boost from Sempra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. Sempra's dividend payout ratio is 58.37%.

Insider Activity at Sempra

In other Sempra news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 2,755 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 13,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,139,236.65. This represents a 16.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.94, for a total transaction of $4,125,186.78. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2 shares in the company, valued at $165.88. This represents a 100.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 9,319 shares of company stock worth $651,676 and have sold 57,309 shares worth $4,694,019. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on SRE shares. UBS Group cut shares of Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $95.00 to $78.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Sempra from $92.00 to $76.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Sempra from $85.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Argus downgraded Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Sempra from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $80.46.

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.