Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC Buys New Holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Paradigm Asset Management Co. LLC bought a new stake in Sempra (NYSE:SRE) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 10,100 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $886,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Sempra by 9.1% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 18,978,605 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,587,181,000 after purchasing an additional 1,582,653 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Sempra by 4.9% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 32,940,620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,774,974,000 after purchasing an additional 1,539,026 shares in the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in Sempra by 201.2% during the third quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 620,394 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $51,882,000 after purchasing an additional 414,406 shares in the last quarter. Unigestion Holding SA acquired a new stake in Sempra during the third quarter worth approximately $33,023,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can raised its holdings in Sempra by 38.3% during the third quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,420,045 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $118,219,000 after purchasing an additional 393,277 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Trading Up 0.8 %

Shares of SRE stock opened at $86.01 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $84.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $84.75. Sempra has a twelve month low of $66.40 and a twelve month high of $95.77. The company has a market capitalization of $54.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.94, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Insider Activity at Sempra

In other news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 2,755 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 13,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,139,236.65. This represents a 16.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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 value of $4,125,186.78. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $165.88. The trade was a 100.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SRE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays cut their price objective on shares of Sempra from $99.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Sempra from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $85.00 to $98.00 in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on 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 Sempra in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $98.00 price target for the company. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $91.20.

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.