AMF Tjanstepension AB Raises Stock Holdings in Sempra Energy $SRE

Key Points

• AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its Sempra Energy stake by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, buying 29,200 more shares and bringing its total holdings to 522,266 shares worth about $46.1 million.
• Analyst sentiment on Sempra remains mostly positive, with a Moderate Buy consensus and an average price target of $102.67. Several firms recently raised or maintained bullish ratings, including JPMorgan and Barclays.
• Sempra reported Q1 earnings of $1.51 per share, matching estimates, but revenue of $3.66 billion came in below expectations. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.6575 per share, yielding about 2.9% annually.

AMF Tjanstepension AB grew its stake in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 5.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 522,266 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 29,200 shares during the quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB owned approximately 0.08% of Sempra Energy worth $46,111,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO boosted its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.7% in the third quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 6,911 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $622,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the period. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.4% in the third quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,587 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $773,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the period. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 5,191 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $458,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Advisor OS LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.2% in the third quarter. Advisor OS LLC now owns 9,681 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $871,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the period. Finally, Silvia Mccoll Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Silvia Mccoll Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,045 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $799,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on SRE. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $100.00 price objective (up from $96.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Friday, March 6th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Sempra Energy from $105.00 to $103.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Argus raised Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Sempra Energy from $98.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $105.00 price target (up from $95.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $102.67.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Jennifer M. Kirk acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $93.44 per share, with a total value of $93,440.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $93,440. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, insider Diana L. Day sold 3,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.13, for a total value of $304,029.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 22,870 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,107,013.10. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders purchased 6,192 shares of company stock worth $576,979 and sold 10,839 shares worth $1,010,935. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Price Performance

Shares of Sempra Energy stock opened at $90.09 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $94.63 and a 200 day moving average of $91.97. Sempra Energy has a 12 month low of $73.06 and a 12 month high of $101.04. The firm has a market cap of $58.89 billion, a PE ratio of 30.54, a PEG ratio of 3.41 and a beta of 0.60. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.20% and a net margin of 14.31%.The company had revenue of $3.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.44 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. 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, research analysts expect that Sempra Energy will post 5.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 25th will be paid a $0.6575 dividend. This represents a $2.63 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 25th. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 89.15%.

Sempra Energy Company Profile

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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