Blueshift Asset Management LLC Invests $280,000 in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Blueshift Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sempra (NYSE:SRE) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 3,192 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $280,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Sempra in the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC grew its position in shares of Sempra by 265.2% in the 4th quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the period. Human Investing LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sempra during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Sempra by 225.6% in the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 433 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SRE opened at $69.56 on Friday. Sempra has a 12-month low of $64.89 and a 12-month high of $95.77. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $78.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $83.57. The firm has a market cap of $45.31 billion, a PE ratio of 15.32, a PEG 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 (NYSE:SRE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $3.76 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.73 billion. Sempra had a return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 22.63%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.13 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Sempra will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a $0.645 dividend. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.71%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This is an increase from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. Sempra’s payout ratio is 58.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Cynthia J. Warner acquired 700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $70.65 per share, with a total value of $49,455.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director now directly owns 8,759 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $618,823.35. The trade was a 8.69 % increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $165.88. The trade was a 100.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders bought 9,319 shares of company stock valued at $651,676 over the last quarter. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Mizuho lowered their price target on Sempra from $92.00 to $76.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Sempra from $92.00 to $78.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Argus cut Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Sempra from $85.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, UBS Group cut shares of Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $95.00 to $78.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $81.58.

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.