Fmr LLC Raises Holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

FMR LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 9.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,978,605 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,582,653 shares during the period. FMR LLC owned about 3.00% of Sempra worth $1,587,181,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC increased its stake in Sempra by 2.8% during the 2nd quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,963 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $377,000 after buying an additional 134 shares in the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Sempra by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,983 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $379,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the last quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC boosted its stake in Sempra by 3.5% during the 2nd quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $306,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sempra by 1.6% during 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 in the last quarter. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC raised 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 buying an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Trading Up 1.1 %

SRE traded up $0.99 on Wednesday, hitting $94.28. The company had a trading volume of 2,871,798 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,916,150. The company's fifty day moving average price is $86.30 and its 200 day moving average price is $81.07. Sempra has a 1 year low of $66.40 and a 1 year high of $95.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The firm has a market cap of $59.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.77, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 0.75.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $1.05 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $2.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.54 billion. Sempra had a net margin of 22.63% and a return on equity of 8.06%. Sempra's revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.08 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Sempra will post 4.77 earnings per share 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 given a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.63%. Sempra's dividend payout ratio is currently 54.63%.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Trevor I. Mihalik sold 23,713 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.09, for a total value of $2,207,443.17. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 11,190 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,041,677.10. The trade was a 67.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target 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. Bank of America began coverage on Sempra in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a "buy" rating and a $94.00 target price on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target 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 initiated coverage on Sempra in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $98.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Barclays upped their target price on Sempra from $87.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $89.00.

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.