GUNN & Co INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC. Invests $291,000 in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

GUNN & Co INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC. acquired a new position in Sempra (NYSE:SRE) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 3,900 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $291,000.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Monetary Management Group Inc. lifted its position in Sempra by 100.0% in the third quarter. Monetary Management Group Inc. now owns 400 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sempra by 100.0% in the third quarter. Essex Investment Management Co. LLC now owns 390 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 195 shares during the period. Wolverine Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Sempra by 100.0% during the third quarter. Wolverine Asset Management LLC now owns 400 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management grew its holdings in Sempra by 85.6% during the third quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 412 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares during the period. Finally, Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Sempra in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Diana L. Day sold 3,937 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.21, for a total transaction of $280,353.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 18,145 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,292,105.45. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, insider Diana L. Day sold 3,937 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.21, for a total transaction of $280,353.77. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 18,145 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,292,105.45. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 50,703 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.92, for a total transaction of $3,595,856.76. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 2 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $141.84. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 122,432 shares of company stock valued at $8,668,035. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Sempra Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of NYSE:SRE traded down $0.21 on Monday, reaching $72.71. The company had a trading volume of 2,091,801 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,945,250. The company has a quick ratio of 0.49, a current ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.70. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $70.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $71.80. Sempra has a twelve month low of $63.75 and a twelve month high of $78.70.

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

Sempra Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 21st were issued a dividend of $0.62 per share. This represents a $2.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.41%. This is a boost from Sempra’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.60. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, March 20th. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio is 51.77%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Sempra in a research note on Wednesday, March 6th. StockNews.com lowered Sempra from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Sempra from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $76.00 to $84.00 in a report on Thursday, January 11th. Mizuho reduced their price objective 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. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on Sempra from $77.00 to $79.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, March 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sempra currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $82.14.

Sempra Company 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.