Sempra (NYSE:SRE) is Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s 6th Largest Position

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. lessened its stake in Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 1,925,727 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 13,584 shares during the quarter. Sempra comprises 2.0% of Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Sempra were worth $168,925,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SRE. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC lifted its stake in Sempra by 265.2% during the fourth quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Human Investing LLC purchased a new position in Sempra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its holdings in Sempra by 225.6% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 2,755 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.93, for a total transaction of $225,717.15. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,905 shares in the company, valued at $1,139,236.65. The trade was a 16.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.94, for a total transaction of $4,125,186.78. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2 shares in the company, valued at $165.88. This trade represents a 100.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have bought 9,319 shares of company stock worth $651,676 over the last ninety days. 0.24% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SRE has been the subject of several research analyst reports. UBS Group cut shares of Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $95.00 to $78.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Guggenheim cut their target price on Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Sempra from $85.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 20th. Argus lowered Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group restated a “hold” rating and set a $77.00 target price (down from $96.00) on shares of Sempra in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $81.33.

Sempra Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SRE opened at $70.15 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $45.70 billion, a PE ratio of 15.45, a price-to-earnings-growth 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. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $77.54 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $83.22. Sempra has a one year low of $64.89 and a one year high of $95.77.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 company had revenue of $3.76 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.73 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.13 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Sempra will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 is a positive change from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.68%. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.37%.

Sempra 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.