MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH Grows Stock Holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH raised its holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 13.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 692,396 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 82,020 shares during the quarter. Sempra comprises approximately 2.0% of MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH’s portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. MEAG MUNICH ERGO Kapitalanlagegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.11% of Sempra worth $51,743,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. WFA of San Diego LLC increased its position in shares of Sempra by 29.9% in the third quarter. WFA of San Diego LLC now owns 2,439 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $166,000 after acquiring an additional 561 shares in the last quarter. Meyer Handelman Co. boosted its stake in Sempra by 100.0% during the 3rd quarter. Meyer Handelman Co. now owns 68,696 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,673,000 after purchasing an additional 34,348 shares during the period. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC boosted its stake in Sempra by 93.7% during the 3rd quarter. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC now owns 2,195 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $149,000 after purchasing an additional 1,062 shares during the period. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board grew its position in Sempra by 114.4% during the third quarter. New Mexico Educational Retirement Board now owns 32,782 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,230,000 after purchasing an additional 17,491 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ausbil Investment Management Ltd grew its position in Sempra by 13.5% during the fourth quarter. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd now owns 172,129 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $12,863,000 after purchasing an additional 20,469 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on SRE. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH started coverage on shares of Sempra in a research note on Wednesday, January 3rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $81.50 target price for the company. BMO Capital Markets upgraded 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 research report on Thursday, January 11th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Sempra from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Sempra from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $78.00 to $86.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 12th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Sempra from $83.00 to $79.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $82.14.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Diana L. Day sold 3,937 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The stock was 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 owns 18,145 shares in the company, 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. In other news, insider Diana L. Day sold 3,937 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.21, for a total value of $280,353.77. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 18,145 shares in the company, valued at $1,292,105.45. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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 that occurred 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 in the company, valued at $1,403,888.64. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 156,622 shares of company stock valued at $11,089,713. 0.24% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Sempra Stock Up 0.8 %

Sempra stock traded up $0.58 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $71.83. The company had a trading volume of 2,468,803 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,268,620. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $70.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $71.64. Sempra has a 12 month low of $63.75 and a 12 month high of $79.51. The company has a market capitalization of $45.41 billion, a PE ratio of 15.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.99 and a beta of 0.71.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 27th. The utilities provider reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.11 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $3.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. Sempra had a return on equity of 9.45% and a net margin of 18.26%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.17 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Sempra will post 4.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 21st will be given a dividend of $0.62 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 20th. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.45%. This is a boost from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. Sempra’s payout ratio is currently 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.