Graypoint LLC Has $326,000 Stock Holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Graypoint LLC lessened its holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 6.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,362 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 301 shares during the period. Graypoint LLC’s holdings in Sempra were worth $326,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Clarius Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Sempra by 3.7% in the fourth quarter. Clarius Group LLC now owns 4,255 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $318,000 after buying an additional 152 shares during the period. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC bought a new position in Sempra during the fourth quarter valued at about $5,470,000. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Sempra during the fourth quarter valued at about $288,000. Petra Financial Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Sempra by 25.6% during the fourth quarter. Petra Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 7,201 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $538,000 after buying an additional 1,469 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC raised its holdings in Sempra by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 94,030 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $7,032,000 after buying an additional 12,398 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com lowered Sempra from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Sempra from $74.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 21st. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Sempra from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $76.00 to $84.00 in a report on Thursday, January 11th. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH assumed coverage on Sempra in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. They issued a “buy” rating and a $81.50 price objective on the stock. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Sempra in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $82.14.

Sempra Stock Performance

Shares of Sempra stock opened at $68.69 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a current ratio of 0.54. Sempra has a 52 week low of $63.75 and a 52 week high of $79.51. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $70.56 and a two-hundred day moving average of $71.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.34, a PEG ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 0.71.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 27th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.02. Sempra had a net margin of 18.26% and a return on equity of 9.45%. The business had revenue of $3.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.01 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.17 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Sempra will post 4.83 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 21st will be given a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 20th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.61%. This is a boost from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 51.77%.

Insider Activity at Sempra

In related news, VP Trevor I. Mihalik sold 57,571 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.59, for a total value of $4,063,936.89. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 10,922 shares in the company, valued at approximately $770,983.98. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. In related news, insider Diana L. Day sold 3,937 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.21, for a total value of $280,353.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now directly owns 18,145 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,292,105.45. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Trevor I. Mihalik sold 57,571 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.59, for a total transaction of $4,063,936.89. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,922 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $770,983.98. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 156,622 shares of company stock worth $11,089,713 in the last quarter. 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.