Parallel Advisors LLC Acquires 190 Shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 1.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,452 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 190 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC’s holdings in Sempra were worth $917,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Sempra in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sempra in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Human Investing LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sempra during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sempra by 225.6% during the 4th quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 433 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, LRI Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sempra by 180.4% during the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 443 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 285 shares during the period. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sempra Price Performance

Shares of SRE opened at $71.06 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $78.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $83.75. Sempra has a fifty-two week low of $64.89 and a fifty-two week high of $95.77. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.29 billion, a PE ratio of 15.65, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.76. 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 (NYSE:SRE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.03. Sempra had a net margin of 22.63% and a return on equity of 8.06%. The firm had revenue of $3.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.13 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Sempra will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be given a $0.645 dividend. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This is a boost from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 58.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays cut shares of Sempra from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $95.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on shares of Sempra from $96.00 to $88.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on shares of Sempra from $92.00 to $78.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Guggenheim dropped their price target on shares of Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Mizuho dropped their price target on shares of Sempra from $92.00 to $76.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $81.50.

Insider Transactions at Sempra

In other news, Director Cynthia J. Warner acquired 700 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $70.65 per share, for a total transaction of $49,455.00. Following the purchase, the director now directly owns 8,759 shares in the company, valued at $618,823.35. The trade was a 8.69 % increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 2,755 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.93, for a total transaction of $225,717.15. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 13,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,139,236.65. This trade represents a 16.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders acquired 9,319 shares of company stock valued at $651,676. Company 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.