Lee Danner & Bass Inc. Boosts Stake in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Lee Danner & Bass Inc. grew its holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 169.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 25,570 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 16,095 shares during the quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc.'s holdings in Sempra were worth $2,243,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Kiker Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter worth $259,000. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. grew its position in shares of Sempra by 623.3% during the fourth quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. now owns 17,359 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,522,000 after buying an additional 14,959 shares in the last quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $280,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas raised its holdings in Sempra by 781.4% in the fourth quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 37,346 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,276,000 after acquiring an additional 33,109 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Generali Investments Management Co LLC acquired a new position in Sempra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,666,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Stock Performance

Shares of SRE traded down $0.96 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $69.30. 4,456,108 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,352,606. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $78.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $83.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.15 billion, a PE ratio of 15.26, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.76. Sempra has a 52-week low of $64.89 and a 52-week high of $95.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.47.

Remove Ads

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

Sempra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.645 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This is an increase from Sempra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.72%. Sempra's dividend payout ratio is currently 58.37%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lowered shares of Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $95.00 to $78.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Guggenheim decreased their price target on Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Sempra from $92.00 to $78.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a "hold" rating and set a $77.00 target price (down previously from $96.00) on shares of Sempra in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Sempra from $96.00 to $88.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $81.58.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 completion of 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at $165.88. This trade represents a 100.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders purchased 9,319 shares of company stock valued at $651,676. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.