Deutsche Bank AG Sells 1,290,885 Shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Deutsche Bank AG cut its stake in Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 12.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,912,099 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 1,290,885 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG owned approximately 1.41% of Sempra worth $781,769,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Sempra during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,535,000,000. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Sempra by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 38,407,154 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,369,076,000 after acquiring an additional 4,082,261 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in Sempra by 70.6% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,666,240 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $584,763,000 after acquiring an additional 2,758,037 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Sempra by 8.0% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 20,489,918 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,797,376,000 after purchasing an additional 1,511,313 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new position in Sempra in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $123,614,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra

In related news, Director Michael N. Mears bought 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $67.70 per share, for a total transaction of $67,700.00. Following the acquisition, the director now owns 5,000 shares in the company, valued at $338,500. This represents a 25.00% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 4,817 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.23, for a total transaction of $343,114.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,408,786.94. This represents a 19.59% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have bought 9,319 shares of company stock worth $651,676 in the last ninety days. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Sempra Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SRE traded up $0.79 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $76.46. The company had a trading volume of 1,607,601 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,165,892. The company's 50 day moving average price is $70.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $80.41. The stock has a market cap of $49.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.63. Sempra has a 52-week low of $61.90 and a 52-week high of $95.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $3.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.90 billion. Sempra had a return on equity of 8.06% and a net margin of 22.63%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.34 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Sempra will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 20th were given a dividend of $0.645 per share. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 20th. This is an increase from Sempra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.62. Sempra's dividend payout ratio is 56.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Sempra from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Morgan Stanley set a $89.00 target price on Sempra and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 23rd. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Sempra from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on Sempra from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Guggenheim lowered their price objective on Sempra from $95.00 to $87.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $80.77.

Sempra 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.