American Century Companies Inc. Decreases Position in Sempra Energy $SRE

Key Points

• American Century Companies Inc. reduced its holdings in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) by 9.3%, selling 14,203 shares and now owning 139,342 shares valued at approximately $9.94 million.
• Several institutions, including Vanguard Group and Invesco, have increased their stakes in Sempra Energy, with Vanguard owning over $4.58 billion in shares after a 1.9% increase.
• For the latest quarter, Sempra reported an EPS of $0.89, surpassing estimates, though its revenue of $3 billion fell short of expectations of $3.35 billion.

American Century Companies Inc. reduced its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 9.3% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 139,342 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 14,203 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc.'s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $9,943,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 173,408 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $12,374,000 after purchasing an additional 13,433 shares in the last quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors boosted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 8.0% during the 1st quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors now owns 49,570 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,569,000 after purchasing an additional 3,677 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 171.2% during the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 11,107 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $793,000 after purchasing an additional 7,012 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sempra Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $483,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. boosted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 81.0% during the 1st quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. now owns 46,277 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,302,000 after purchasing an additional 20,707 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Energy Stock Up 1.3%

NYSE:SRE traded up $1.05 on Friday, hitting $82.49. The stock had a trading volume of 3,485,156 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,476,431. 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 has a market cap of $53.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.62. Sempra Energy has a 1 year low of $61.90 and a 1 year high of $95.77. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $78.85 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $75.73.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $3 billion during 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 company's revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.89 EPS. Analysts predict that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Caroline Ann Winn sold 5,114 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.01, for a total transaction of $419,399.14. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 39,380 shares in the company, valued at $3,229,553.80. This trade represents a 11.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 1,576 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $126,080.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 15,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,248,000. The trade was a 9.18% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SRE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $80.00 price objective (up previously from $70.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $71.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sempra Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $82.33.

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.