Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Shares Sold by Investor s Fiduciary Advisor Network LLC

Investor s Fiduciary Advisor Network LLC decreased its holdings in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) by 23.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,934 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 1,224 shares during the quarter. Investor s Fiduciary Advisor Network LLC’s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $280,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. boosted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 81.0% in the 1st quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. now owns 46,277 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,302,000 after purchasing an additional 20,707 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in Sempra Energy by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,168,360 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $368,814,000 after acquiring an additional 25,254 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors lifted its position in Sempra Energy by 20.1% during the 1st quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 4,415 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $315,000 after acquiring an additional 739 shares during the period. von Borstel & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in Sempra Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $104,000. Finally, IFM Investors Pty Ltd lifted its position in Sempra Energy by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 212,012 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $15,129,000 after acquiring an additional 11,389 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total value of $595,193.90. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,969 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,260,117.94. This represents a 32.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have commented on SRE shares. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $88.00 price target (up previously from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Argus cut Sempra Energy from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price objective on Sempra Energy from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Sempra Energy from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Sempra Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $80.83.

Sempra Energy Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of Sempra Energy stock opened at $75.55 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $49.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.63. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $75.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $76.82. Sempra Energy has a 1-year low of $61.90 and a 1-year high of $95.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.51.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.12. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.55% and a net margin of 22.15%. The firm had revenue of $3.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.34 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 26th will be issued a $0.645 dividend. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 26th. Sempra Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 56.70%.

Sempra Energy Profile

Sempra operates as an energy infrastructure company in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Sempra California, Sempra Texas Utilities, and Sempra Infrastructure. The Sempra California segment provides electric services; and natural gas services to San Diego County.