Crestline Management LP Takes Position in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Crestline Management LP purchased a new position in Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 70,489 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $6,183,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Sempra during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sempra by 265.2% in the fourth quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Sempra in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sempra news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 2,755 shares of the firm's 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 sale, the senior vice president now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director James C. Yardley purchased 5,019 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $69.74 per share, with a total value of $350,025.06. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,019 shares of the company's stock, valued at $350,025.06. The trade was a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders purchased 9,319 shares of company stock worth $651,676. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on SRE. Guggenheim cut their target price on shares of Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Argus lowered Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. UBS Group lowered Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their target price for the company from $95.00 to $78.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Barclays cut shares of Sempra from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $95.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 27th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Sempra from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sempra has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $80.54.

Sempra Price Performance

SRE stock opened at $75.15 on Wednesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $70.63 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.70. Sempra has a fifty-two week low of $61.90 and a fifty-two week high of $95.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market cap of $48.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.55, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.63.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 25th. The utilities provider reported $1.50 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.47 by $0.03. The company had revenue of $3.76 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.73 billion. Sempra had a return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 22.63%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.13 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Sempra will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a $0.645 dividend. This is an increase from Sempra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.43%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. Sempra's dividend payout ratio is currently 58.37%.

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.

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