Natixis Advisors LLC Has $49.73 Million Stock Position in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Natixis Advisors LLC raised its position in Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 35.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 594,683 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 156,397 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.09% of Sempra worth $49,733,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. Eastern Bank bought a new stake in Sempra during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Family Firm Inc. acquired a new position in Sempra in the second quarter worth $30,000. Hollencrest Capital Management grew its holdings in shares of Sempra by 250.0% during the third 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 last quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra in the second quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sempra in the second quarter valued at about $34,000. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Sempra Trading Up 1.9 %

SRE opened at $92.19 on Monday. Sempra has a twelve month low of $66.40 and a twelve month high of $93.12. The firm has a market cap of $58.39 billion, a PE ratio of 20.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 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. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $84.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.02.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.05 by ($0.16). Sempra had a return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 22.63%. The business had revenue of $2.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.54 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.08 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that Sempra will post 4.77 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Announces Dividend

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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 5th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.69%. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 54.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on SRE shares. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Sempra in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $98.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Sempra from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Sempra from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Sempra in a research report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $94.00 price target for the company. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Sempra currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $89.00.

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.