Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Position Increased by Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP

Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 10.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,129,048 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 108,279 shares during the quarter. Sempra makes up 2.3% of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP's portfolio, making the stock its 13th biggest position. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP owned approximately 0.18% of Sempra worth $99,040,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in Sempra in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Human Investing LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sempra in the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its position in Sempra by 225.6% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 433 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, LRI Investments LLC boosted its position in Sempra by 180.4% during the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 443 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the period. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Stock Down 1.1 %

SRE opened at $68.70 on Wednesday. The stock's fifty day moving average is $80.68 and its 200-day moving average is $84.27. The company has a market capitalization of $44.75 billion, a PE ratio of 15.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.76. 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 one year low of $64.89 and a one year high of $95.77.

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

Sempra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $0.645 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This is an increase from Sempra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.76%. Sempra's dividend payout ratio is 58.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SRE has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Guggenheim cut their target price on Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Sempra from $92.00 to $78.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. UBS Group cut shares of Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $95.00 to $78.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Mizuho cut their price target on Sempra from $92.00 to $76.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a "hold" rating and issued a $77.00 price objective (down from $96.00) on shares of Sempra in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $81.50.

Insider Activity

In other Sempra news, Director Cynthia J. Warner acquired 700 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $70.65 per share, with a total value of $49,455.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 8,759 shares of the company's stock, valued at $618,823.35. The trade was a 8.69 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 2,755 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,139,236.65. This trade represents a 16.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.

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