Bank of Montreal Can Lowers Stock Holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Bank of Montreal Can trimmed its position in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 3.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,365,580 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 54,465 shares during the period. Bank of Montreal Can owned about 0.22% of Sempra worth $119,789,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Sempra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Sempra in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sempra by 265.2% in the fourth quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sempra Stock Performance

Shares of SRE traded up $1.46 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $68.36. 4,169,530 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,684,997. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.65. 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 has a fifty day moving average price of $73.60 and a 200-day moving average price of $81.88. Sempra has a 12-month low of $61.90 and a 12-month high of $95.77.

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Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $4.73 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.13 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a $0.645 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 yield of 3.77%. Sempra's payout ratio is presently 58.37%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on SRE shares. Argus downgraded shares of Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Sempra from $92.00 to $78.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. UBS Group downgraded Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $95.00 to $78.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $99.00 to $76.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Sempra from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $80.46.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Michael N. Mears purchased 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $67.70 per share, for a total transaction of $67,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 5,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $338,500. This trade represents a 25.00 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.94, for a total value of $4,125,186.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2 shares in the company, valued at $165.88. The trade was a 100.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 9,319 shares of company stock worth $651,676 and have sold 57,309 shares worth $4,694,019. Insiders own 0.24% 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.