Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) CAO Dyan Wold sold 1,539 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.38, for a total value of $146,789.82. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,633 shares of the company's stock, valued at $441,895.54. This represents a 24.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.
Sempra Energy Stock Up 0.9%
SRE stock opened at $96.01 on Tuesday. Sempra Energy has a twelve month low of $61.90 and a twelve month 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 stock's 50 day moving average is $90.91 and its 200-day moving average is $89.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.72 billion, a PE ratio of 34.79, a P/E/G ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 0.73.
Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.50 earnings per share. Sempra Energy's quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Sempra Energy Increases Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.6575 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 19th. This represents a $2.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.7%. This is a positive change from Sempra Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Sempra Energy's payout ratio is presently 95.29%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
Several brokerages have recently commented on SRE. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $100.00 price target (up from $96.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Friday, March 6th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $101.00 target price on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Friday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $100.00.
View Our Latest Analysis on SRE
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sempra Energy
A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in SRE. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Sempra Energy during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new position in shares of Sempra Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 57.7% during the 4th quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 347 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the period. Key Financial Inc increased its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 73.6% during the 4th quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 361 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 83.0% during the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 355 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently 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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