World Equity Group Inc. Makes New Investment in Sempra (NYSE:SRE)

World Equity Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 5,316 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $466,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Howard Capital Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Sempra by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,130 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $362,000 after acquiring an additional 199 shares during the last quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Sempra by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 5,263 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $462,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares during the last quarter. TCW Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Sempra by 65.6% during the fourth quarter. TCW Group Inc. now owns 139,606 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $12,246,000 after acquiring an additional 55,305 shares during the last quarter. Fisher Funds Management LTD bought a new position in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter worth about $6,273,000. Finally, Pinnacle Financial Partners Inc bought a new position in shares of Sempra during the fourth quarter worth about $243,000. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Stock Performance

Shares of SRE opened at $87.11 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $84.31 and a 200 day moving average price of $84.92. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.18 billion, a PE ratio of 19.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Sempra has a 52-week low of $66.40 and a 52-week high of $95.77.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra

In other Sempra news, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 49,737 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 2 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $165.88. This represents a 100.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 2,755 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $81.93, for a total transaction of $225,717.15. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 13,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,139,236.65. The trade was a 16.54 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.24% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on SRE shares. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Sempra from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Sempra from $99.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, January 27th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Sempra from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $85.00 to $98.00 in a research report on Friday, December 13th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Sempra from $87.00 to $96.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 7th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $91.20.

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.