Key Points
- CFO Karen Sedgwick sold 4,872 Sempra shares on March 9 at an average of $92.58, reducing her stake by 11.1% to 39,029 shares worth about $3.61 million, per an SEC filing.
- Sempra reported quarterly EPS of $1.28 (above the $1.12 estimate) while revenue was slightly below expectations, and the company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.6575 ($2.63 annualized, 2.8% yield; ex-dividend March 19).
- The stock trades near $93.49 with a 52-week range of $61.90–$97.44 and a market cap around $61.1 billion; analysts have a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average target of $100.00.
Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) CFO Karen Sedgwick sold 4,872 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.58, for a total value of $451,049.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 39,029 shares in the company, valued at $3,613,304.82. The trade was a 11.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.
Sempra Energy Price Performance
NYSE SRE opened at $93.49 on Tuesday. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $90.37 and a 200-day moving average price of $89.36. Sempra Energy has a 52 week low of $61.90 and a 52 week high of $97.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.07 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.87, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.73.
Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $3.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.82 billion. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 13.27% and a return on equity of 8.22%. The firm's revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.
Sempra Energy Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.6575 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 19th. This represents a $2.63 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is a boost from Sempra Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio is 93.48%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
SRE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Argus upgraded Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $101.00 target price on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $100.00 price target (up from $96.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Friday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday. Finally, Barclays set a $95.00 price objective on Sempra Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $100.00.
Get Our Latest Stock Report on SRE
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sempra Energy
Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in SRE. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in Sempra Energy by 52.5% during the first quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 18,008 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,285,000 after buying an additional 6,196 shares during the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in Sempra Energy by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 53,512 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,819,000 after buying an additional 15,474 shares in the last quarter. Ignite Planners LLC increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 3.1% in the 2nd quarter. Ignite Planners LLC now owns 12,396 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $970,000 after acquiring an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 4.1% in the 2nd quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 8,743 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $662,000 after acquiring an additional 344 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Metis Global Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 17.1% during the 2nd quarter. Metis Global Partners LLC now owns 62,805 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,759,000 after acquiring an additional 9,178 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
About Sempra Energy
(
Get Free Report)
Sempra Energy is a San Diego–based energy infrastructure company that develops, owns and operates businesses delivering electricity and natural gas. Its operations include regulated utility services that provide electric and gas distribution to residential, commercial and industrial customers, as well as non‑regulated infrastructure businesses that develop and manage large-scale energy assets.
The company's product and service portfolio spans electricity and natural gas delivery, transmission and storage, liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities, power generation and electric transmission projects.
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