Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Increases Holdings in Sempra Energy $SRE

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) by 4.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,590,698 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 74,749 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $142,702,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Sempra Energy during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in Sempra Energy during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Activest Wealth Management boosted its position in Sempra Energy by 74.6% during the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 391 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in Sempra Energy during the 4th quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its position in Sempra Energy by 88.8% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 406 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. 89.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $118.00 price target on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Sempra Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Truist Financial set a $108.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Sempra Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $102.67.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of SRE stock opened at $93.69 on Thursday. Sempra Energy has a 12 month low of $73.06 and a 12 month high of $101.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.60. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $95.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $92.01.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.16. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 13.27% and a return on equity of 8.22%. The firm had revenue of $3.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.50 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 5.15 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 19th were issued a $0.6575 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 19th. This represents a $2.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. This is an increase from Sempra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Sempra Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.29%.

Insider Transactions at Sempra Energy

In other news, CFO Karen L. Sedgwick sold 4,872 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.58, for a total value of $451,049.76. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 39,029 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,613,304.82. This represents a 11.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 1,128 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 21,632 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,091,598.08. This trade represents a 4.96% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have acquired 6,192 shares of company stock worth $576,979 and have sold 7,539 shares worth $706,906. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Sempra Energy

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.