Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp Sells 17,663 Shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp cut its holdings in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 5.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 312,828 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 17,663 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp’s holdings in Sempra were worth $27,441,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Sempra in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC lifted its position 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 buying an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Human Investing LLC bought a new stake in Sempra during the 4th quarter worth about $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 owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Sempra

In related news, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The shares were 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 directly owns 2 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $165.88. The trade was a 100.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 2,755 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.93, for a total value of $225,717.15. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 13,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,139,236.65. This trade represents a 16.54 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders acquired 9,319 shares of company stock worth $651,676. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Sempra Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of NYSE SRE opened at $70.76 on Thursday. Sempra has a 52-week low of $64.89 and a 52-week high of $95.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.52. The stock has a market cap of $46.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.59, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.76. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $77.82 and a 200 day moving average price of $83.31.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.47 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $3.76 billion during 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%. The firm’s revenue was up 7.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.13 EPS. Analysts expect that Sempra will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th will be issued a dividend of $0.645 per share. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.65%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 20th. This is a boost from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. Sempra’s payout ratio is 58.37%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Sempra from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Argus downgraded Sempra from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Sempra from $85.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 20th. Mizuho dropped their target price on Sempra from $92.00 to $76.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Sempra from $92.00 to $78.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $81.33.

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.