Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Shares Sold by Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA

Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA trimmed its position in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 96.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,431 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 342,528 shares during the period. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA's holdings in Sempra were worth $876,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in Sempra during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Sempra during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC increased its stake in Sempra by 265.2% during the fourth quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sempra in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup cut their target price 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. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Sempra from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Morgan Stanley set a $87.00 target price on Sempra and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 22nd. 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 reduced their price target 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 investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sempra has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $80.75.

Sempra Stock Down 3.0%

Shares of SRE traded down $2.29 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $73.94. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,855,147 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,792,171. 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 12-month low of $61.90 and a 12-month high of $95.77. The stock has a market cap of $48.20 billion, a PE ratio of 16.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.64. The company's 50 day moving average is $74.31 and its 200 day moving average is $78.60.

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

Sempra Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.645 per share. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.49%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 26th. Sempra's payout ratio is 56.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Sempra news, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total value of $595,193.90. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 16,969 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,260,117.94. The trade was a 32.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Pablo Ferrero acquired 2,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $70.96 per share, with a total value of $184,496.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director now directly owns 15,649 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,110,453.04. This trade represents a 19.92% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

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.