Twin Capital Management Inc. Sells 1,481 Shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Twin Capital Management Inc. decreased its position in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 6.4% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 21,818 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,481 shares during the period. Twin Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in Sempra were worth $1,567,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of SRE. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sempra by 3.4% during the 1st quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 4,335 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. raised its stake in Sempra by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. Benjamin Edwards Inc. now owns 2,081 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $156,000 after buying an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. raised its stake in Sempra by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. now owns 38,190 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $2,854,000 after buying an additional 147 shares during the last quarter. Sandy Spring Bank boosted its holdings in Sempra by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Sandy Spring Bank now owns 18,610 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,391,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Presima Securities ULC grew its stake in shares of Sempra by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Presima Securities ULC now owns 5,550 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $415,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Stock Performance

SRE traded up $1.39 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $79.12. 2,818,594 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,988,395. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $76.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $73.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.71 and a beta of 0.74. Sempra has a 1-year low of $63.75 and a 1-year high of $79.48. The company has a current ratio of 0.62, a quick ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.35 by ($0.01). Sempra had a return on equity of 8.95% and a net margin of 20.99%. The company had revenue of $3.64 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $5.58 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.46 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 44.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Sempra will post 4.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 27th were paid a $0.62 dividend. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.13%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 27th. Sempra’s dividend payout ratio is currently 54.93%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on SRE. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH decreased their price objective on shares of Sempra from $81.50 to $79.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 29th. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Sempra from $79.00 to $86.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 17th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Sempra from $79.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Sempra from $79.00 to $76.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, June 24th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Sempra from $86.00 to $84.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $82.10.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sempra news, CAO Peter R. Wall sold 6,100 shares of Sempra stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.07, for a total value of $457,927.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 14,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,107,357.57. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other Sempra news, CAO Peter R. Wall sold 6,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.07, for a total transaction of $457,927.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 14,751 shares in the company, valued at $1,107,357.57. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Richard J. Mark acquired 1,925 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 17th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $77.97 per share, with a total value of $150,092.25. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 5,420 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $422,597.40. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.