Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Shares Acquired by Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.

Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. increased its stake in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,100,836 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 72,495 shares during the quarter. Sempra comprises approximately 1.9% of Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co.'s portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. owned about 0.33% of Sempra worth $156,995,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mechanics Bank Trust Department boosted its position in shares of Sempra by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Mechanics Bank Trust Department now owns 10,182 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $761,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the period. Sandy Spring Bank increased its holdings in shares of Sempra by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 18,610 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,391,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the period. Clarius Group LLC raised its position in Sempra by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 4,255 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $318,000 after purchasing an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S. boosted its stake in Sempra by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Machina Capital S.A.S. now owns 5,535 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $377,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. Finally, AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its stake in Sempra by 34.5% during the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 600 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently commented on SRE. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Sempra from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and upped their target price for the company from $76.00 to $84.00 in a report on Thursday, January 11th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH began coverage on Sempra in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. They issued a "buy" rating and a $81.50 target price on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and set a $82.00 price target on shares of Sempra in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Sempra from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 21st. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Sempra from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $82.14.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 5,063 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.22, for a total transaction of $360,586.86. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 19,712 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,403,888.64. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 50,703 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.92, for a total transaction of $3,595,856.76. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 2 shares in the company, valued at $141.84. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 5,063 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.22, for a total value of $360,586.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,712 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,403,888.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 122,432 shares of company stock valued at $8,668,035. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Sempra Price Performance

NYSE SRE traded up $0.96 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $72.28. The stock had a trading volume of 2,427,912 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,953,792. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $70.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $71.75. The company has a market cap of $45.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.09, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 0.71. Sempra has a 52-week low of $63.75 and a 52-week high of $79.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $3.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.01 billion. Sempra had a return on equity of 9.45% and a net margin of 18.26%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.17 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Sempra will post 4.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 21st were paid a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, March 20th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.43%. This is a positive change from Sempra's previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Sempra's dividend payout ratio is presently 51.77%.

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.

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