Swiss National Bank Grows Holdings in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Swiss National Bank raised its position in Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 0.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,878,400 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 6,700 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.30% of Sempra worth $157,091,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Eastern Bank purchased a new stake in Sempra during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Family Firm Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Hollencrest Capital Management grew its stake in shares of Sempra by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. Hollencrest Capital Management now owns 378 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 270 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Financial Connections Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of NYSE:SRE opened at $92.19 on Monday. Sempra has a 52 week low of $66.40 and a 52 week high of $93.12. The company’s 50 day moving average is $84.52 and its two-hundred day moving average is $80.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company has a market cap of $58.39 billion, a PE ratio of 20.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.75.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.05 by ($0.16). The company had revenue of $2.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.54 billion. Sempra had a net margin of 22.63% and a return on equity of 8.06%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 16.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.08 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Sempra will post 4.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, January 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 5th will be given a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.69%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 5th. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 54.63%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on SRE shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 7th. Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Sempra from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Sempra in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $94.00 price objective on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Sempra from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on shares of Sempra in a report on Thursday, October 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $98.00 target price on the stock. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $89.00.

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.