KBC Group NV Purchases 13,118 Shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

KBC Group NV lifted its stake in Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 4.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 288,569 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 13,118 shares during the period. KBC Group NV's holdings in Sempra were worth $24,133,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SRE. Eastern Bank bought a new position in Sempra in the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hollencrest Capital Management lifted its stake in Sempra by 250.0% in the third quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 378 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Family Firm Inc. bought a new position in Sempra during the second quarter worth about $30,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sempra during the 2nd quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Sempra in the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on SRE shares. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Sempra from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group began 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. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Sempra from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Sempra from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $89.00.

Sempra Stock Performance

Shares of Sempra stock traded up $1.75 during trading on Friday, hitting $92.19. 3,050,146 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,903,094. Sempra has a 1-year low of $66.40 and a 1-year high of $93.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $84.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $79.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 22.63% and a return on equity of 8.06%. The business had revenue of $2.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.54 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.08 EPS. Sempra's quarterly revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Sempra will post 4.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be paid a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 5th. Sempra's dividend payout ratio is presently 54.63%.

Sempra 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.