Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Shares Bought by Groupama Asset Managment

Groupama Asset Managment raised its stake in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 36.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 650,772 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 175,518 shares during the period. Sempra accounts for about 1.1% of Groupama Asset Managment's portfolio, making the stock its 24th biggest position. Groupama Asset Managment owned about 0.10% of Sempra worth $54,424,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Sempra by 10.0% during the second quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 135,621 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $10,315,000 after buying an additional 12,346 shares during the period. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd grew its position in Sempra by 319.5% in the 2nd quarter. Dai ichi Life Insurance Company Ltd now owns 196,954 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $14,980,000 after acquiring an additional 150,000 shares during the last quarter. TCW Group Inc. increased its stake in Sempra by 28.2% in the second quarter. TCW Group Inc. now owns 67,765 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,154,000 after purchasing an additional 14,890 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Sempra by 1.9% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 357,107 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $29,865,000 after purchasing an additional 6,709 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Sempra by 7.2% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 107,800 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $9,015,000 after purchasing an additional 7,198 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Stock Performance

SRE traded up $0.02 during trading on Monday, reaching $89.62. 1,044,902 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,916,720. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $87.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $81.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $56.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.77. 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 $66.40 and a 1 year high of $95.77.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.05 by ($0.16). Sempra had a return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 22.63%. The business had revenue of $2.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.54 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.08 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that Sempra will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 5th will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 5th. Sempra's dividend payout ratio is currently 54.63%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra

In related news, VP Trevor I. Mihalik sold 23,713 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was 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 $1,041,677.10. The trade was a 67.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on SRE. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Sempra in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $94.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Sempra from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Sempra from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays lifted their target price on Sempra from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, December 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Sempra from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Sempra presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $89.91.

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.