Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Position Increased by Vontobel Holding Ltd.

Vontobel Holding Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) by 47.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 16,844 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,419 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in Sempra were worth $1,478,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of Sempra by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 18,978,605 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,587,181,000 after purchasing an additional 1,582,653 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Sempra by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 32,940,620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,774,974,000 after acquiring an additional 1,539,026 shares during the last quarter. National Bank of Canada FI grew its holdings in shares of Sempra by 201.2% in the 3rd quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 620,394 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $51,882,000 after acquiring an additional 414,406 shares during the last quarter. Unigestion Holding SA acquired a new position in shares of Sempra in the 3rd quarter worth $33,023,000. Finally, Bank of Montreal Can grew its holdings in shares of Sempra by 38.3% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 1,420,045 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $118,219,000 after acquiring an additional 393,277 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of SRE opened at $84.19 on Tuesday. Sempra has a 12-month low of $66.40 and a 12-month high of $95.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.78. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $84.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $84.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on SRE. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Sempra from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Jefferies Financial Group began coverage on Sempra in a report on Thursday, October 24th. They set a “buy” rating and a $98.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays lowered their price target on Sempra from $99.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, January 27th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Sempra from $93.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, October 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $91.20.

Insider Activity

In other Sempra news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 2,755 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $81.93, for a total transaction of $225,717.15. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 13,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,139,236.65. This represents a 16.54 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.94, for a total value of $4,125,186.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2 shares in the company, valued at approximately $165.88. This trade represents a 100.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 76,205 shares of company stock worth $6,558,347. Company insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

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.