Baird Financial Group Inc. Sells 4,128 Shares of Sempra Energy $SRE

Key Points

• Baird Financial Group Inc. reduced its holdings in Sempra Energy by 23.0%, selling 4,128 shares during the first quarter, bringing their total ownership to 13,841 shares valued at approximately $988,000.
• Several other institutional investors also adjusted their stakes in Sempra Energy, with Eastern Bank increasing its holdings by 73.7% to own 580 shares worth about $41,000.
• Analysts have generally positive sentiments towards Sempra Energy, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $82.33, following recent upgrades from firms like Barclays and Citigroup.

Baird Financial Group Inc. decreased its position in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 23.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 13,841 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 4,128 shares during the period. Baird Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $988,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Sempra Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Sempra Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $41,000. Eastern Bank lifted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 73.7% during the 1st quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 580 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC boosted its position in Sempra Energy by 188.9% during the first quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 855 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 559 shares during the period. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

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

Sempra Energy Price Performance

SRE stock traded up $0.49 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $83.96. The stock had a trading volume of 3,204,840 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,332,113. The company has a current ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Sempra Energy has a 52 week low of $61.90 and a 52 week high of $95.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.65. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $80.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $75.52.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.07. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 20.28% and a return on equity of 8.42%. The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.35 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $71.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $80.00 target price (up previously from $70.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $81.27.

Sempra Energy 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.