Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Stake Raised by LGT Fund Management Co Ltd.

LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. increased its holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 50.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 30,000 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 10,000 shares during the period. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd.'s holdings in Sempra were worth $2,632,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Crews Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in Sempra in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Human Investing LLC purchased a new stake in Sempra in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Hollencrest Capital Management lifted its stake in Sempra by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 378 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 270 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its stake in Sempra by 225.6% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 433 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, LRI Investments LLC lifted its stake in Sempra by 180.4% in the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 443 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sempra Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SRE opened at $71.50 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.52. The firm has a market cap of $45.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.78. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $83.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $84.79. Sempra has a 52 week low of $64.89 and a 52 week high of $95.77.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last released its 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. The firm had revenue of $3.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. Sempra had a return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 22.63%. The company's revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.13 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Sempra will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.61%. This is a positive change from Sempra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. Sempra's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.11%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. UBS Group downgraded Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $95.00 to $78.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Sempra from $100.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on Sempra from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Sempra from $96.00 to $88.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Guggenheim cut their price target on Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $84.54.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra

In other news, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of Sempra 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 approximately $165.88. This trade represents a 100.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 2,755 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.93, for a total value of $225,717.15. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,905 shares in the company, valued at $1,139,236.65. The trade was a 16.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.24% 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.

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