EP Wealth Advisors LLC Lowers Stake in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

EP Wealth Advisors LLC lessened its holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 352,207 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 6,700 shares during the quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC owned about 0.06% of Sempra worth $30,896,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new position in Sempra in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Sempra in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Sempra by 265.2% during the 4th quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sempra in the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Price Performance

NYSE:SRE opened at $75.15 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Sempra has a 12 month low of $61.90 and a 12 month high of $95.77. The business’s 50-day moving average is $70.63 and its 200 day moving average is $80.70. The company has a market capitalization of $48.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.63.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.03. The firm had revenue of $3.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. Sempra had a net margin of 22.63% and a return on equity of 8.06%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.13 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Sempra will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were issued a $0.645 dividend. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.43%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Pablo Ferrero bought 2,600 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $70.96 per share, with a total value of $184,496.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 15,649 shares in the company, valued at $1,110,453.04. The trade was a 19.92 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 4,817 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.23, for a total value of $343,114.91. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,778 shares in the company, valued at $1,408,786.94. The trade was a 19.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders bought 9,319 shares of company stock valued at $651,676. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Sempra from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Sempra from $92.00 to $76.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley set a $89.00 price target on Sempra and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Guggenheim dropped their target price on Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of Sempra from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.54.

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.