Dark Forest Capital Management LP Has $207,000 Stock Position in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Dark Forest Capital Management LP decreased its stake in Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 73.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 2,361 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 6,622 shares during the period. Dark Forest Capital Management LP's holdings in Sempra were worth $207,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Sempra Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SRE traded up $0.82 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $75.52. 2,830,803 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,739,094. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $70.42 and a 200 day moving average price of $80.94. The company has a market cap of $49.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.63, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.47. Sempra has a 52 week low of $61.90 and a 52 week high of $95.77.

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

Sempra Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a $0.645 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 20th. This is a boost from Sempra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.42%. Sempra's payout ratio is 58.37%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on SRE shares. Guggenheim reduced their price target on Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Argus lowered Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Sempra from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. UBS Group cut shares of Sempra from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $95.00 to $78.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Sempra from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Six investment 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 a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $80.54.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra

In other news, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 4,817 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.23, for a total value of $343,114.91. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 19,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,408,786.94. This trade represents a 19.59 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, 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 owns 13,905 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,139,236.65. The trade was a 16.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders acquired 9,319 shares of company stock valued at $651,676. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.