Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. Acquires 1,013 Shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 28,774 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,013 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Sempra were worth $2,524,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of SRE. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in Sempra during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Sempra during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in Sempra during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its stake in Sempra by 225.6% during the fourth 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 raised its stake in Sempra by 180.4% during the third 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. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have commented on SRE shares. Argus downgraded Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Sempra from $96.00 to $88.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Guggenheim lowered their target price on Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Mizuho lowered their price objective on Sempra from $92.00 to $76.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Sempra from $92.00 to $78.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sempra has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.58.

Sempra Trading Down 1.4 %

SRE opened at $70.10 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $45.67 billion, a PE ratio of 15.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Sempra has a twelve month low of $64.89 and a twelve month high of $95.77. The company has a fifty day moving average of $78.55 and a 200-day moving average of $83.66.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. Sempra had a return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 22.63%. The company had revenue of $3.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.13 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Sempra will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a dividend of $0.645 per share. This is a positive change from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.68%. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.37%.

Insider Activity at Sempra

In related news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 2,755 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.93, for a total transaction of $225,717.15. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 13,905 shares in the company, valued at $1,139,236.65. This represents a 16.54 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 30th. The stock was 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 approximately $165.88. The trade was a 100.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have acquired a total of 9,319 shares of company stock worth $651,676 in the last 90 days. Corporate 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.