Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Director Sells $1,291,753.50 in Stock

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Director Kevin Sagara sold 14,433 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total transaction of $1,291,753.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,042 shares in the company, valued at $93,259. This represents a 93.27% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Sempra Energy Price Performance

NYSE SRE opened at $90.02 on Wednesday. Sempra Energy has a 12 month low of $61.90 and a 12 month high of $95.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.48 and a quick ratio of 0.41. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.74 billion, a PE ratio of 21.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.65. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $82.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $76.91.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.35 billion. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 20.28% and a return on equity of 8.42%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be given a $0.645 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Sempra Energy’s payout ratio is 62.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $71.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $80.00 price target (up previously from $70.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Monday, August 4th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Mizuho lifted their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $93.00 price objective (up from $86.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $84.55.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sempra Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 51.2% during the 2nd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 375 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 245.1% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 421 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. Pingora Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 48.3% during the 1st quarter. Pingora Partners LLC now owns 430 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 74.1% during the 2nd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 444 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Energy Company 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.