Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Has $739,000 Stock Position in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 108.8% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 9,888 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 5,153 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Sempra were worth $739,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of SRE. PrairieView Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sempra by 100.0% during the third quarter. PrairieView Partners LLC now owns 376 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 188 shares during the period. Optimum Investment Advisors boosted its position in Sempra by 100.0% in the third quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 380 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Sempra by 119.9% in the third quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 398 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 217 shares in the last quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. grew its stake in Sempra by 100.0% during the third quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. now owns 400 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Essex Investment Management Co. LLC grew its stake in Sempra by 100.0% during the third quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 390 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Trevor I. Mihalik sold 57,571 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.59, for a total value of $4,063,936.89. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $770,983.98. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 5,063 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.22, for a total value of $360,586.86. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 19,712 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,403,888.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Trevor I. Mihalik sold 57,571 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.59, for a total value of $4,063,936.89. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,922 shares in the company, valued at $770,983.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 156,622 shares of company stock worth $11,089,713. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:SRE opened at $68.11 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a current ratio of 0.54 and a quick ratio of 0.49. The stock has a market cap of $43.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.71. The company has a 50 day moving average of $70.52 and a 200-day moving average of $71.54. Sempra has a one year low of $63.75 and a one year high of $79.51.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $3.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.01 billion. Sempra had a net margin of 18.26% and a return on equity of 9.45%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.17 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Sempra will post 4.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 21st were paid a $0.62 dividend. This is a positive change from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 20th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.64%. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.77%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on SRE. Mizuho reduced their target price on Sempra from $83.00 to $79.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 25th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Sempra in a report on Wednesday, March 6th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH assumed coverage on Sempra in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $81.50 price target for the company. StockNews.com lowered shares of Sempra from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Sempra from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $76.00 to $84.00 in a research note on Thursday, January 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $82.14.

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.