Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Shares Purchased by Van ECK Associates Corp

Van ECK Associates Corp increased its holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 186,778 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 5,454 shares during the quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp's holdings in Sempra were worth $16,384,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in Sempra by 1.6% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,742 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $731,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares in the last quarter. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI raised its holdings in Sempra by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. LVM Capital Management Ltd. MI now owns 6,677 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $586,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Sempra by 0.3% in the third quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 46,518 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,890,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its holdings in shares of Sempra by 4.2% during the third quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 4,031 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $337,000 after acquiring an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Greenwood Capital Associates LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sempra by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Greenwood Capital Associates LLC now owns 14,079 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,235,000 after acquiring an additional 165 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sempra Stock Performance

Sempra stock traded up $0.75 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $85.37. The company had a trading volume of 3,121,924 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,310,441. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Sempra has a 12-month low of $66.40 and a 12-month high of $95.77. The company's fifty day moving average is $84.44 and its 200-day moving average is $84.74. The company has a market capitalization of $54.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.78.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on SRE shares. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Sempra from $99.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Sempra from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on shares of Sempra in a report on Thursday, October 24th. They set a "buy" rating and a $98.00 price objective on the stock. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Sempra from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their price objective for the company from $85.00 to $98.00 in a report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Sempra currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $91.20.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2 shares in the company, valued at $165.88. This trade represents a 100.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 2,755 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.93, for a total value of $225,717.15. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 13,905 shares in the company, valued at $1,139,236.65. This trade represents a 16.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

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.