Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Shares Acquired by Picton Mahoney Asset Management

Picton Mahoney Asset Management raised its position in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 28.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 113,783 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 25,113 shares during the quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management's holdings in Sempra were worth $9,980,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sempra by 633.4% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 29,917 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,624,000 after buying an additional 25,838 shares during the last quarter. Unigestion Holding SA purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra in the third quarter worth about $33,023,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of Sempra by 8.8% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 3,428,132 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $286,695,000 after buying an additional 278,183 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sempra by 1.9% in the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 357,107 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $29,865,000 after buying an additional 6,709 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra in the third quarter worth about $675,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 2,755 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,905 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,139,236.65. This trade represents a 16.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $165.88. The trade was a 100.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders bought 9,319 shares of company stock worth $651,676. Insiders own 0.24% of the company's stock.

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Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on SRE shares. Argus downgraded Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday. UBS Group downgraded Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $95.00 to $78.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $77.00 price target (down previously from $96.00) on shares of Sempra in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Sempra from $100.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Sempra from $92.00 to $78.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $81.50.

Sempra Price Performance

Shares of Sempra stock traded up $0.31 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $71.06. 5,920,426 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,325,188. The business has a 50-day moving average of $79.04 and a 200 day moving average of $83.84. Sempra has a fifty-two week low of $64.89 and a fifty-two week high of $95.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.29 billion, a PE ratio of 15.65, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

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

Sempra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.645 per share. This is a boost from Sempra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. Sempra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.37%.

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.