Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Has $120.93 Million Position in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 2.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,445,967 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 29,536 shares during the quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.23% of Sempra worth $120,926,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Sempra by 2.8% in the second quarter. Perennial Investment Advisors LLC now owns 4,963 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $377,000 after purchasing an additional 134 shares during the last quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Sempra by 2.8% in the 2nd quarter. Transcend Capital Advisors LLC now owns 4,983 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $379,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares during the period. Marcum Wealth LLC grew its holdings in Sempra by 3.5% during the second quarter. Marcum Wealth LLC now owns 4,019 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $306,000 after purchasing an additional 137 shares during the period. Private Advisor Group LLC raised its holdings in Sempra by 1.6% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,742 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $731,000 after purchasing an additional 139 shares during the period. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Sempra by 4.0% during the second quarter. SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,794 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $289,000 after purchasing an additional 147 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Price Performance

NYSE:SRE opened at $92.19 on Thursday. Sempra has a 1-year low of $66.40 and a 1-year high of $93.12. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $58.39 billion, a PE ratio of 20.31, a P/E/G ratio of 2.94 and a beta of 0.75. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $83.99 and a 200 day simple moving average of $79.60.

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

Sempra Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on SRE. Barclays raised their price objective on Sempra from $87.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. 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. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Sempra from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 21st. Finally, Bank of America started coverage on Sempra in a report on Thursday, September 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $94.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $89.00.

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.