Sempra Energy $SRE Shares Acquired by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System increased its stake in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) by 2.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 637,124 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 17,671 shares during the quarter. Sempra Energy comprises about 1.2% of Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest position. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System owned approximately 0.10% of Sempra Energy worth $57,328,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sempra Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 51.2% during the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 375 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its position in Sempra Energy by 245.1% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 421 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 299 shares during the last quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 117.4% in the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 424 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the period. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its position in Sempra Energy by 230.8% during the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 430 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sempra Energy Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of SRE stock opened at $92.53 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $90.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $86.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.56. Sempra Energy has a 1-year low of $61.90 and a 1-year high of $95.72. The firm has a market cap of $60.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.38, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 0.74.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.27. The firm had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.99 billion. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 15.63% and a return on equity of 8.67%. Sempra Energy’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 11th were paid a dividend of $0.645 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 11th. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. Sempra Energy’s dividend payout ratio is currently 79.14%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Sempra Energy from $95.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Barclays reduced their price target on Sempra Energy from $101.00 to $98.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Morgan Stanley set a $91.00 price target on Sempra Energy in a research report on Tuesday, December 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.17.

Insider Transactions at Sempra Energy

In related news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 4,322 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.55, for a total value of $400,001.10. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 11,325 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,048,128.75. This trade represents a 27.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CAO Dyan Z. Wold sold 1,510 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.38, for a total transaction of $137,983.80. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $318,093.78. This trade represents a 30.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 19,396 shares of company stock valued at $1,785,606. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Sempra Energy 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.