Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $161.53 Million Stock Holdings in Sempra Energy $SRE

Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its position in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) by 11.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,795,323 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 186,374 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned approximately 0.28% of Sempra Energy worth $161,534,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sempra Energy during the 2nd quarter worth $35,000. Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of 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 buying an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. lifted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 117.4% during the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 424 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Motco lifted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 1,945.8% during the 3rd quarter. Motco now owns 491 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 467 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sempra Energy Price Performance

Shares of SRE opened at $92.71 on Monday. Sempra Energy has a 12-month low of $61.90 and a 12-month high of $97.44. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $90.28 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $89.27. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The stock has a market cap of $60.57 billion, a PE ratio of 33.59, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.73.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.16. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.22% and a net margin of 13.27%.The firm had revenue of $3.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.82 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.50 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 19th will be issued a $0.6575 dividend. This is a boost from Sempra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 19th. This represents a $2.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Sempra Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 93.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on SRE shares. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $100.00 target price (up from $96.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Friday. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Argus upgraded shares of Sempra Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $99.00 price target (up from $80.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $101.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Friday, February 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $100.00.

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.