Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd Has $7.21 Million Stock Position in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its stake in Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 82,223 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 4,225 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd's holdings in Sempra were worth $7,213,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Eastern Bank bought a new position in shares of Sempra during the third quarter worth about $28,000. Hollencrest Capital Management raised its position in Sempra by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 378 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during 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 valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. 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 worth $40,000 after acquiring an additional 285 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Stock Performance

Sempra stock traded up $1.19 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $83.40. 3,019,462 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,497,280. Sempra has a 52 week low of $66.40 and a 52 week high of $95.77. The firm has a market cap of $52.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.78. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $85.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $84.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.52.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sempra news, VP Trevor I. Mihalik sold 23,713 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $93.09, for a total value of $2,207,443.17. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 11,190 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,041,677.10. This represents a 67.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of the firm'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. This trade represents a 100.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 76,205 shares of company stock valued at $6,558,347. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Sempra from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on shares of Sempra in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $98.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on shares of Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays lowered their target price on Sempra from $99.00 to $95.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Sempra from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $85.00 to $98.00 in a report on Friday, December 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $91.20.

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.