Natixis Advisors L.P. raised its position in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE – Get Rating) by 8.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 134,222 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 10,687 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P.’s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $20,743,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. AMF Tjanstepension AB boosted its position in Sempra Energy by 791.5% in the 4th quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 1,356,502 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $209,740,000 after buying an additional 1,204,338 shares during the last quarter. ClearBridge Investments Ltd acquired a new position in Sempra Energy in the first quarter valued at approximately $130,223,000. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Sempra Energy by 2.3% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 28,199,642 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,228,254,000 after acquiring an additional 625,052 shares during the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in Sempra Energy by 75.8% in the third quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 1,046,771 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $156,953,000 after acquiring an additional 451,191 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 22.2% during the 1st quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,287,516 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $384,577,000 after acquiring an additional 416,022 shares during the last quarter. 84.75% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
SRE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Sempra Energy from $169.00 to $166.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 1st. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $180.00 to $174.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 1st. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Sempra Energy in a report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Bank of America reduced their price target on Sempra Energy from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $158.00 to $150.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 21st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sempra Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $168.45.
Sempra Energy Stock Down 0.0 %
Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 28th. The utilities provider reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.06 by $0.29. The company had revenue of $3.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.79 billion. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 10.53% and a net margin of 14.74%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.16 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 8.95 earnings per share for the current year.
Sempra Energy Increases Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, April 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 22nd will be given a $1.19 dividend. This is a positive change from Sempra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $4.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 21st. Sempra Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 71.90%.
Insider Activity at Sempra Energy
In related news, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 19,260 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.09, for a total transaction of $2,813,693.40. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 1 shares in the company, valued at $146.09. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other news, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 19,260 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $146.09, for a total value of $2,813,693.40. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $146.09. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 15,964 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $161.92, for a total value of $2,584,890.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 19,261 shares in the company, valued at $3,118,741.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 52,504 shares of company stock valued at $8,045,547 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.
About Sempra Energy
Sempra Energy is an energy-service holding company, which engages in the development and operation of energy infrastructure, and provision of electric and gas services. It operates through the following segments: San Diego Gas and Electric Company (SDG&E), Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), Sempra Texas Utilities, Sempra Mexico, and Sempra LNG.
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