Swiss National Bank Raises Stake in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Swiss National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 0.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,878,400 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,700 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank’s holdings in Sempra were worth $157,091,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Eastern Bank purchased a new position in Sempra during the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new position in Sempra during the 2nd quarter worth $30,000. Hollencrest Capital Management grew its position in Sempra by 250.0% during the 3rd 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 purchased a new position in Sempra during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new position in Sempra during the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. 89.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sempra Stock Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE SRE opened at $92.19 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Sempra has a 52 week low of $66.40 and a 52 week high of $93.12. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $84.52 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.02. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.75.

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

Sempra Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 5th will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 5th. Sempra’s payout ratio is currently 54.63%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on SRE. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Sempra in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $94.00 target price for the company. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Sempra from $87.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Sempra from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, October 21st. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Sempra from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Sempra in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $98.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.00.

About Sempra

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.