ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. Takes $7.14 Million Position in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE)

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. has acquired a new position in Sempra Energy, purchasing 100,063 shares valued at approximately $7.14 million in the first quarter.
• Multiple institutional investors have been adjusting their stakes in Sempra Energy, with hedge funds owning approximately 89.65% of the company's stock.
• Analysts have provided varied price targets for Sempra Energy, with an average target of $81.58 and ratings ranging from "hold" to "outperform."

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. bought a new position in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 100,063 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $7,140,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 8,194 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $719,000 after acquiring an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 6,195 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $543,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,639 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $232,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.7% during the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 8,169 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $583,000 after buying an additional 133 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft now owns 2,988 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $211,000 after buying an additional 141 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SRE has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Sempra Energy from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $80.00 price objective (up previously from $70.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $88.00 price objective (up previously from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on Sempra Energy from $72.00 to $71.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy 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 $81.58.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 1,576 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $126,080.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 15,600 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,248,000. The trade was a 9.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total value of $595,193.90. Following the transaction, the insider owned 16,969 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,260,117.94. This represents a 32.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Price Performance

Shares of Sempra Energy stock opened at $81.16 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Sempra Energy has a twelve month low of $61.90 and a twelve month high of $95.77. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $76.92 and a 200 day moving average price of $75.83. The firm has a market cap of $52.91 billion, a PE ratio of 17.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.62.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.12. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.55% and a net margin of 22.15%. The company had revenue of $3.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.34 EPS. Sempra Energy's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 26th were issued a $0.645 dividend. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 26th. Sempra Energy's payout ratio is presently 56.70%.

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.

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