Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Holdings Raised by AMI Asset Management Corp

AMI Asset Management Corp increased its holdings in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 61.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 10,652 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 4,034 shares during the period. AMI Asset Management Corp's holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $760,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of SRE. Sigma Planning Corp boosted its stake in Sempra Energy by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Sigma Planning Corp now owns 6,423 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $563,000 after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the period. Wealthspire Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Sempra Energy by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 5,263 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $462,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in Sempra Energy during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,472,000. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Sempra Energy by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,210 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the period. Finally, Crestwood Advisors Group LLC boosted its stake in Sempra Energy by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Crestwood Advisors Group LLC now owns 4,900 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $430,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the period. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Energy Price Performance

SRE stock traded up $0.38 on Friday, hitting $75.32. 5,966,282 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,857,209. Sempra Energy has a 1-year low of $61.90 and a 1-year high of $95.77. The stock has a market cap of $49.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.64. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $75.72 and a 200-day moving average of $77.16. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.12. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 22.15% and a return on equity of 8.55%. The business had revenue of $3.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.34 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.645 per share. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.43%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 26th. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 56.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $88.00 price target (up from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Argus lowered shares of Sempra Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 18th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sempra Energy has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $80.83.

Insider Activity at Sempra Energy

In related news, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 4,817 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.23, for a total value of $343,114.91. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 19,778 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,408,786.94. This represents a 19.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total transaction of $595,193.90. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 16,969 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,260,117.94. This trade represents a 32.08% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Company Profile

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.