6,021 Shares in Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Acquired by Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC

Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 6,021 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $528,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Lindbrook Capital LLC boosted its position in Sempra by 5.4% during the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 2,410 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $211,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Sempra by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,585 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $227,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Sempra by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,639 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $232,000 after buying an additional 126 shares during the period. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. lifted its position in Sempra by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. Avantax Planning Partners Inc. now owns 7,423 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $651,000 after acquiring an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI boosted its holdings in Sempra by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI now owns 6,677 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $586,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SRE traded up $0.75 during trading on Friday, hitting $71.14. 3,595,052 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,686,324. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The business's fifty day moving average is $72.66 and its 200-day moving average is $81.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.67, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.65. Sempra has a one year low of $61.90 and a one year high of $95.77.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last issued 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. Sempra had a return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 22.63%. The firm had revenue of $3.76 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.13 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Sempra will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were paid a $0.645 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.63%. This is a positive change from Sempra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. Sempra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.37%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Sempra from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Sempra from $85.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Guggenheim cut their price target on Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Argus lowered Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their target price on Sempra from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $80.31.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2 shares of the company's stock, valued at $165.88. The trade was a 100.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Pablo Ferrero bought 2,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $70.96 per share, with a total value of $184,496.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 15,649 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,110,453.04. This trade represents a 19.92 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 9,319 shares of company stock valued at $651,676 and have sold 57,309 shares valued at $4,694,019. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

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.