Key Points
- Justin Christopher Bird, Sempra EVP, sold 1,128 shares on April 1 at an average price of $96.69 for $109,066.32, reducing his stake by 4.96% to 21,632 shares (≈$2.09M).
- Sempra raised its quarterly dividend to $0.6575 (annualized $2.63) with an ex-dividend date of March 19 and a dividend yield of 2.7%, while the payout ratio is about 95.3%.
- Analysts have an average rating of "Moderate Buy" with a $100.73 price target; the company recently beat EPS estimates ($1.28 vs. $1.12) though revenue slightly missed and the stock trades near its 52‑week high (~$99).
Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 1,128 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.69, for a total transaction of $109,066.32. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 21,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,091,598.08. The trade was a 4.96% 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 Stock Performance
Shares of Sempra Energy stock opened at $99.20 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $92.61 and a two-hundred day moving average of $90.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $64.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.94, a PEG ratio of 3.69 and a beta of 0.67. Sempra Energy has a 52 week low of $61.90 and a 52 week high of $99.28.
Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $3.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.82 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. The firm's revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.
Sempra Energy Increases Dividend
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 19th will be given a dividend of $0.6575 per share. This represents a $2.63 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 19th. This is an increase from Sempra Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 95.29%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
SRE has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $101.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, March 29th. Barclays set a $95.00 target price on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $100.73.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on SRE
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sempra Energy
Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of SRE. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in Sempra Energy by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 85,334 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $7,678,000 after acquiring an additional 13,864 shares in the last quarter. Amundi increased its holdings in Sempra Energy by 20.8% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 1,903,624 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $142,429,000 after purchasing an additional 327,154 shares in the last quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ increased its holdings in Sempra Energy by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 203,402 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $18,302,000 after purchasing an additional 11,020 shares in the last quarter. ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $150,993,000. Finally, Greenland Capital Management LP raised its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 282.4% in the 3rd quarter. Greenland Capital Management LP now owns 107,400 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $9,664,000 after purchasing an additional 79,314 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.
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.
Further Reading
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