Horizon Investments LLC Has $3.68 Million Stock Holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Horizon Investments LLC increased its stake in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 1.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 41,977 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 787 shares during the quarter. Horizon Investments LLC’s holdings in Sempra were worth $3,682,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in Sempra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Sempra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Sempra by 265.2% during the 4th quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Human Investing LLC bought a new stake in Sempra during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE SRE opened at $70.74 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $46.09 billion, a PE ratio of 15.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.76. Sempra has a 12-month low of $64.89 and a 12-month high of $95.77. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $79.04 and its 200 day simple moving average is $83.84. 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 (NYSE:SRE) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $3.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. Sempra had a net margin of 22.63% and a return on equity of 8.06%. Sempra’s revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.13 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Sempra will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th will be paid a dividend of $0.645 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 20th. This is a positive change from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.65%. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 58.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sempra news, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.94, for a total transaction of $4,125,186.78. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2 shares in the company, valued at approximately $165.88. This represents a 100.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Michael N. Mears acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $67.70 per share, for a total transaction of $67,700.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 5,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $338,500. The trade was a 25.00 % increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have purchased a total of 9,319 shares of company stock valued at $651,676 over the last ninety days. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lowered shares of Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $95.00 to $78.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Mizuho reduced their target price on shares of Sempra from $92.00 to $76.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Guggenheim reduced their target price on shares of Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $77.00 price objective (down from $96.00) on shares of Sempra in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $99.00 to $76.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $81.50.

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.