147,176 Shares in Sempra Energy $SRE Bought by Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd

Key Points

• Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd initiated a new position in Sempra Energy, buying 147,176 shares valued at about $13.0 million in the fourth quarter.
• Sempra reported Q1 earnings of $1.51 per share, matching analyst expectations, but revenue of $3.66 billion came in below estimates and was down 3.9% year over year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.6575 per share, implying an annualized payout of $2.63 and a 2.8% yield; meanwhile, analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $102.67.

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 147,176 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $12,994,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new position in Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd boosted its stake in Sempra Energy by 57.7% during the fourth 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. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Sempra Energy by 83.0% during the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 355 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Key Financial Inc boosted its stake in Sempra Energy by 73.6% during the fourth quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 361 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new position in Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter worth $35,000. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Sempra Energy Stock Up 0.9%

Sempra Energy stock opened at $92.37 on Friday. Sempra Energy has a 1-year low of $73.06 and a 1-year high of $101.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.56. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $93.13 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $91.77. The company has a current ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 8.20%. The firm had revenue of $3.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.10 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sempra Energy has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.100-5.700 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.870-5.370 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Sempra Energy will post 5.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 25th will be given a dividend of $0.6575 per share. This represents a $2.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 25th. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 89.15%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 1,128 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.69, for a total transaction of $109,066.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 21,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,091,598.08. This trade represents a 4.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Pablo Ferrero sold 2,600 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.53, for a total transaction of $232,778.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 15,423 shares in the company, valued at $1,380,821.19. The trade was a 14.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 8,567 shares of company stock valued at $792,663 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Argus raised shares of Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $98.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $105.00 to $103.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $105.00 price objective (up from $95.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sempra Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $102.67.

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.

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