Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Shares Purchased by Natixis Advisors L.P.

Natixis Advisors L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 11.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 421,223 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 44,741 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. owned approximately 0.07% of Sempra worth $31,478,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Mechanics Bank Trust Department grew its holdings in Sempra by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department now owns 10,182 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $761,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. Benjamin Edwards Inc. boosted its position in shares of Sempra by 7.5% during the 4th quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 2,081 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $156,000 after purchasing an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. Sandy Spring Bank grew its stake in shares of Sempra by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 18,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,391,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Clarius Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sempra by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 4,255 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $318,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Machina Capital S.A.S. lifted its stake in shares of Sempra by 2.8% in the third quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S. now owns 5,535 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $377,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. 89.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Sempra

In related news, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 50,703 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.92, for a total value of $3,595,856.76. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2 shares in the company, valued at $141.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Diana L. Day sold 3,937 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were 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 owns 18,145 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,292,105.45. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 50,703 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.92, for a total transaction of $3,595,856.76. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2 shares in the company, valued at $141.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 122,432 shares of company stock worth $8,668,035 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Stock Performance

NYSE:SRE opened at $72.92 on Friday. Sempra has a 1-year low of $63.75 and a 1-year high of $78.70. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $70.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $71.78. The firm has a market cap of $46.10 billion, a PE ratio of 15.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.54 and a quick ratio of 0.49.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.11 by $0.02. Sempra had a return on equity of 9.45% and a net margin of 18.26%. The company had revenue of $3.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.17 EPS. Sempra’s revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that Sempra will post 4.82 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 21st were paid a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 20th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.40%. This is an increase from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.77%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Sempra from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Sempra in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Sempra from $83.00 to $79.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 25th. StockNews.com cut Sempra from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Sempra from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $76.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Thursday, January 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $82.14.

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.