Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Shares Sold by Hartford Investment Management Co.

Hartford Investment Management Co. trimmed its stake in Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 2.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 39,751 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 816 shares during the quarter. Hartford Investment Management Co.’s holdings in Sempra were worth $3,324,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sunbelt Securities Inc. increased its position in Sempra by 55.1% during the 1st quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 6,676 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $480,000 after purchasing an additional 2,372 shares in the last quarter. Brookstone Capital Management grew its holdings in shares of Sempra by 7.8% during the first quarter. Brookstone Capital Management now owns 3,038 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $218,000 after buying an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in shares of Sempra by 12.8% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 123,275 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $8,855,000 after buying an additional 13,986 shares during the last quarter. Congress Park Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sempra during the first quarter valued at approximately $212,000. Finally, Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Sempra during the first quarter worth approximately $264,000. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Stock Up 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE:SRE opened at $85.96 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $82.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $77.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $54.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.06, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 0.75. Sempra has a 1 year low of $66.40 and a 1 year high of $86.13. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.46.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.92 by ($0.03). Sempra had a return on equity of 8.58% and a net margin of 22.31%. The business had revenue of $3.01 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.94 earnings per share. Sempra’s quarterly revenue was down 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Sempra will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, September 26th were given a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.89%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, September 26th. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 54.99%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SRE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Bank of America began coverage on Sempra in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $94.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley increased 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 lifted their price target on Sempra from $87.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 1st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Sempra from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Sempra from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Sempra presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $86.50.

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.