Vinva Investment Management Ltd Trims Stock Position in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Vinva Investment Management Ltd decreased its holdings in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 61.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,766 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 46,983 shares during the period. Vinva Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in Sempra were worth $2,478,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Eastern Bank acquired a new position in Sempra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Hollencrest Capital Management increased its position in Sempra by 250.0% during the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 378 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 270 shares during the period. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in Sempra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Sempra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. acquired a new position in Sempra during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sempra news, VP Trevor I. Mihalik sold 23,713 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $93.09, for a total transaction of $2,207,443.17. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 11,190 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,041,677.10. This represents a 67.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Sempra from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. Barclays upped their price target on Sempra from $87.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on Sempra in a report on Thursday, October 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $98.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price target on Sempra from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $89.00.

Sempra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SRE opened at $94.28 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $86.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $81.16. The stock has a market cap of $59.72 billion, a PE ratio of 20.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.52. Sempra has a one year low of $66.40 and a one year high of $95.77.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $2.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.54 billion. Sempra had a net margin of 22.63% and a return on equity of 8.06%. Sempra’s quarterly revenue was down 16.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.08 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Sempra will post 4.77 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 5th. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.63%.

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.