Quantinno Capital Management LP Raises Stake in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 38.2% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 30,593 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 8,456 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP's holdings in Sempra were worth $2,559,000 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. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra during the third quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hollencrest Capital Management lifted its holdings in Sempra by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 378 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the last quarter. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sempra in the 2nd quarter valued at about $30,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sempra in the 2nd quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra during the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Stock Performance

Sempra stock traded down $1.27 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $87.28. 1,231,561 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,915,831. The stock has a market cap of $55.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.77. The firm's 50 day moving average is $87.76 and its 200 day moving average is $81.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.52. Sempra has a 52-week low of $66.40 and a 52-week high of $95.77.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last released 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 analyst estimates of $3.54 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.08 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Sempra will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.84%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 5th. Sempra's dividend payout ratio is currently 54.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have weighed in on SRE shares. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Sempra from $89.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, December 2nd. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Sempra in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $98.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Sempra from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Sempra from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sempra presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $89.91.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Trevor I. Mihalik sold 23,713 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.09, for a total value of $2,207,443.17. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 11,190 shares in the company, valued at $1,041,677.10. This represents a 67.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.