Xponance Inc. Boosts Holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Xponance Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 5.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 83,197 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 4,174 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Sempra were worth $6,217,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. WFA of San Diego LLC raised its stake in shares of Sempra by 29.9% during the third quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC now owns 2,439 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $166,000 after acquiring an additional 561 shares in the last quarter. Meyer Handelman Co. increased its stake in shares of Sempra by 100.0% in the third quarter. Meyer Handelman Co. now owns 68,696 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,673,000 after buying an additional 34,348 shares during the period. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board increased its stake in shares of Sempra by 114.4% in the third quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 32,782 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,230,000 after buying an additional 17,491 shares during the period. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in shares of Sempra by 13.5% in the fourth quarter. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd now owns 172,129 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $12,863,000 after buying an additional 20,469 shares during the period. Finally, CUSHING ASSET MANAGEMENT LP dba NXG INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT purchased a new position in shares of Sempra in the fourth quarter worth $9,715,000. 89.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sempra Stock Up 2.4 %

NYSE SRE opened at $70.09 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The company has a fifty day moving average of $70.39 and a two-hundred day moving average of $71.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.63, a PEG ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 0.71. Sempra has a 52 week low of $63.75 and a 52 week high of $79.43.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $3.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. Sempra had a net margin of 18.26% and a return on equity of 9.45%. Sempra’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.17 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Sempra will post 4.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 21st were given a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.54%. This is an increase from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 20th. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 51.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Sempra from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $82.00 target price on shares of Sempra in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Sempra from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Mizuho cut their price target on shares of Sempra from $83.00 to $79.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Sempra from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $82.14.

Insider Transactions at Sempra

In other news, insider Diana L. Day sold 3,937 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.21, for a total transaction of $280,353.77. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,145 shares in the company, valued at $1,292,105.45. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 5,063 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.22, for a total value of $360,586.86. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,712 shares in the company, valued at $1,403,888.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Diana L. Day sold 3,937 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.21, for a total value of $280,353.77. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 18,145 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,292,105.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 156,622 shares of company stock worth $11,089,713. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.