Clearbridge Investments LLC Lowers Stock Holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Clearbridge Investments LLC lessened its stake in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 1.0% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,989,939 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 137,930 shares during the period. Sempra comprises approximately 1.0% of Clearbridge Investments LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th biggest holding. Clearbridge Investments LLC owned approximately 2.21% of Sempra worth $1,227,197,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Sempra during the 4th quarter worth about $1,535,000,000. State Street Corp lifted its position in Sempra by 4.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 32,940,620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,774,974,000 after acquiring an additional 1,539,026 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in Sempra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $123,614,000. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS acquired a new position in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter worth $43,956,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Sempra by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 63,018,055 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,527,944,000 after purchasing an additional 490,269 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of SRE stock opened at $69.65 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.76. Sempra has a fifty-two week low of $64.89 and a fifty-two week high of $95.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.52. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $77.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $83.13.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $3.76 billion during 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.13 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Sempra will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $0.645 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This is a boost from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.70%. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 58.37%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on SRE shares. UBS Group lowered shares of Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $95.00 to $78.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Argus downgraded shares of Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $77.00 target price (down from $96.00) on shares of Sempra in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Guggenheim lowered their price target on Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Sempra from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sempra presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.33.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Pablo Ferrero bought 2,600 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $70.96 per share, for a total transaction of $184,496.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 15,649 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,110,453.04. This trade represents a 19.92 % increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 2,755 shares of the 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,139,236.65. This trade represents a 16.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders acquired 9,319 shares of company stock valued at $651,676 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

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.