Insider Selling: Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) CAO Sells $146,789.82 in Stock

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) CAO Dyan Wold sold 1,539 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.38, for a total value of $146,789.82. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 4,633 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $441,895.54. This represents a 24.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Sempra Energy Stock Up 0.9%

NYSE:SRE traded up $0.90 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $96.01. The stock had a trading volume of 3,561,809 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,288,105. The stock has a market cap of $62.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.79, a PEG ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 0.73. The business’s 50 day moving average is $90.91 and its 200 day moving average is $89.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.57. Sempra Energy has a fifty-two week low of $61.90 and a fifty-two week high of $97.44.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $3.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.82 billion. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 13.27% and a return on equity of 8.22%. The company’s revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.50 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 19th will be paid a $0.6575 dividend. This represents a $2.63 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 19th. This is a boost from Sempra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Sempra Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.29%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of SRE. West Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 1.1% during the third quarter. West Wealth Group LLC now owns 10,207 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $942,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO increased its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.7% in the third quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 6,911 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $622,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.4% in the third quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,587 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $773,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisor OS LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on SRE shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price 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. Barclays set a $95.00 price target on Sempra Energy and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $101.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $99.00 price objective (up from $80.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Argus upgraded Sempra Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $100.00.

Sempra Energy Company Profile

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.