Sempra Energy $SRE Position Lessened by DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale decreased its stake in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,332,884 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 23,097 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale owned 0.36% of Sempra Energy worth $176,638,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Pingora Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 48.3% in the 1st quarter. Pingora Partners LLC now owns 430 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares during the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 230.8% in the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 430 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 73.7% during the 1st quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 580 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barrett & Company Inc. bought a new stake in Sempra Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at $51,000. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Energy Stock Up 1.5%

SRE opened at $92.65 on Tuesday. Sempra Energy has a one year low of $61.90 and a one year high of $95.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.48. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $85.48 and its 200-day moving average is $79.03. The company has a market capitalization of $60.45 billion, a PE ratio of 22.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 0.66.

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

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st were paid a $0.645 dividend. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 1st. Sempra Energy’s payout ratio is currently 62.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $93.00 target price (up previously from $86.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Sempra Energy from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Barclays set a $101.00 target price on Sempra Energy and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Mizuho lifted their target price on Sempra Energy from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $88.00.

Insider Transactions at Sempra Energy

In related news, EVP Caroline Ann Winn sold 5,114 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.01, for a total value of $419,399.14. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 39,380 shares in the company, valued at $3,229,553.80. The trade was a 11.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Kevin C. Sagara sold 14,433 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total value of $1,291,753.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 1,042 shares in the company, valued at $93,259. The trade was a 93.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 49,987 shares of company stock valued at $4,267,870. Corporate insiders own 0.27% 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.