National Bank of Canada FI Sells 90,931 Shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

National Bank of Canada FI cut its position in Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 14.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 529,463 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 90,931 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI owned about 0.08% of Sempra worth $46,480,000 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. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Sempra during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Sempra during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its holdings in Sempra by 265.2% in 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Sempra in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sempra Trading Down 3.7 %

Sempra stock traded down $2.45 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $63.43. The stock had a trading volume of 3,693,787 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,623,778. Sempra has a 52-week low of $62.26 and a 52-week high of $95.77. The company has a fifty day moving average of $75.87 and a 200 day moving average of $82.70. The firm has a market cap of $41.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

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

Sempra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $0.645 dividend. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.07%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This is an increase from Sempra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. Sempra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on SRE shares. Barclays lowered Sempra from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $95.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the company from $99.00 to $76.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a "hold" rating and issued a $77.00 price objective (down previously from $96.00) on shares of Sempra in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Argus downgraded Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Guggenheim cut their target price on shares of Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $81.33.

Insider Activity at Sempra

In other Sempra news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 2,755 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.93, for a total transaction of $225,717.15. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,905 shares in the company, valued at $1,139,236.65. This trade represents a 16.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Cynthia J. Warner bought 700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $70.65 per share, with a total value of $49,455.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 8,759 shares in the company, valued at approximately $618,823.35. This trade represents a 8.69 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders purchased 9,319 shares of company stock worth $651,676 and sold 57,309 shares worth $4,694,019. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.