Sempra Energy $SRE Shares Sold by Partners Group Holding AG

Partners Group Holding AG cut its stake in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) by 15.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 464,706 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 83,404 shares during the period. Sempra Energy makes up 1.7% of Partners Group Holding AG’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 19th largest position. Partners Group Holding AG owned about 0.07% of Sempra Energy worth $35,211,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of SRE. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Sempra Energy by 8.3% during the second quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 6,941 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $561,000 after buying an additional 534 shares in the last quarter. Freestone Capital Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Sempra Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $217,000. Machina Capital S.A.S. acquired a new position in Sempra Energy during the second quarter valued at approximately $1,856,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Sempra Energy by 51.2% during the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 375 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System lifted its position in Sempra Energy by 5.6% during the second quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 201,920 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $15,299,000 after buying an additional 10,700 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Mizuho lifted their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Monday, October 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $115.00 price target on the stock. Barclays set a $101.00 price target on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $80.00 price target (up from $70.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $89.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $94.00.

Sempra Energy Trading Up 0.7%

SRE opened at $92.58 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.36, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.66. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $87.57 and its 200-day moving average is $80.85. Sempra Energy has a 52-week low of $61.90 and a 52-week high of $95.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.07. The company 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 business’s quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.89 earnings per share. Analysts expect that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra Energy

In related news, EVP Caroline Ann Winn sold 5,114 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.01, for a total value of $419,399.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 39,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,229,553.80. This represents a 11.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Kevin C. Sagara sold 14,433 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,042 shares in the company, valued at $93,259. This represents a 93.27% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 48,411 shares of company stock worth $4,141,790 over the last ninety days. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

About Sempra Energy

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.