Short Interest in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Increases By 29.9%

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) was the target of a significant growth in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 11,281,352 shares, a growth of 29.9% from the January 29th total of 8,681,923 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 4,542,431 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.5 days. Approximately 1.7% of the company’s stock are sold short. Approximately 1.7% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 4,542,431 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 2.5 days.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sempra Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Sempra Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new position in Sempra Energy during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position 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 worth $29,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its holdings in Sempra Energy by 57.7% during the 4th quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 347 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 245.1% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 421 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 299 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of SRE stock traded down $0.61 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $95.66. 3,064,171 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,884,631. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $89.83 and a 200 day moving average price of $88.92. The company has a market cap of $62.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.66, a P/E/G ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.57. Sempra Energy has a 12-month low of $61.90 and a 12-month high of $97.44.

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

Sempra Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 19th will be paid a $0.6575 dividend. This represents a $2.63 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 19th. This is a positive change from Sempra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Sempra Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 93.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays set a $95.00 price objective on Sempra Energy and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $101.00 target price on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $99.00 price objective (up from $80.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Monday, November 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $99.20.

About Sempra Energy

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.