Key Points
- Director Jennifer Kirk purchased 1,000 shares of Sempra Energy on March 12 at $93.44 per share for a total of $93,440, a transaction disclosed in an SEC filing.
- Sempra increased its quarterly dividend to $0.6575 (annualized $2.63) with an ex-dividend date of March 19, implying a yield of about 2.8% and a payout ratio near 95%.
- Sempra has a market cap around $62.2 billion, reported quarterly EPS of $1.28 (above estimates), and holds an average analyst consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target near $100.
Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) Director Jennifer Kirk bought 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $93.44 per share, for a total transaction of $93,440.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $93,440. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.
Sempra Energy Stock Performance
NYSE SRE opened at $95.20 on Friday. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $90.74 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $89.57. The stock has a market cap of $62.19 billion, a PE ratio of 34.49, a PEG ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.59. Sempra Energy has a fifty-two week low of $61.90 and a fifty-two week high of $97.44.
Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.16. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.22% and a net margin of 13.27%.The company had revenue of $3.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. Sempra Energy's revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Sempra Energy Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 19th will be given a $0.6575 dividend. This is a boost from Sempra Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.63 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 19th. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio is 95.29%.
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sempra Energy
A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SRE. West Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. West Wealth Group LLC now owns 10,207 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $942,000 after buying an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO grew its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 6,911 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $622,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,587 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $773,000 after buying an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 5,191 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $458,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisor OS LLC raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Advisor OS LLC now owns 9,681 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $871,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Sempra Energy from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Barclays set a $95.00 target price on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $100.00 price target (up from $96.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Friday, March 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $100.00.
View Our Latest Report on SRE
Sempra Energy Company Profile
(
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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