Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Shares Sold by Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. lessened its holdings in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 44.3% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 37,191 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 29,612 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V.'s holdings in Sempra were worth $3,110,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. M&G Plc purchased a new position in shares of Sempra during the first quarter worth about $64,994,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its stake in Sempra by 6.9% in the second quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 13,452,912 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,023,228,000 after buying an additional 874,133 shares during the last quarter. Zimmer Partners LP grew its position in shares of Sempra by 96.9% during the first quarter. Zimmer Partners LP now owns 1,636,202 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $117,528,000 after acquiring an additional 805,084 shares during the last quarter. Jupiter Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Sempra during the first quarter worth approximately $42,630,000. Finally, Swedbank AB acquired a new position in shares of Sempra in the 1st quarter valued at $27,338,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of Sempra stock traded up $1.49 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $91.25. 3,733,561 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,307,586. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $83.60 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.26. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $57.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.75. Sempra has a twelve month low of $66.40 and a twelve month high of $91.88.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 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 firm had revenue of $2.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.54 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.08 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Sempra will post 4.77 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 5th will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.72%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 5th. Sempra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on SRE shares. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Sempra in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They set a "buy" rating and a $94.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Sempra from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, September 25th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on shares of Sempra from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Sempra in a report on Thursday, October 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $98.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $89.00.

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.