Banque Cantonale Vaudoise Takes $1 Million Position in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE)

Key Points

• Banque Cantonale Vaudoise has acquired a new stake in Sempra Energy, purchasing 14,037 shares valued at approximately $1,002,000 in the first quarter.
• Sempra Energy reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $1.44 for the latest quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations of $1.32, while the company’s revenue was $3.80 billion.
• The firm announced a quarterly dividend of $0.645 per share, representing an annualized dividend yield of 3.2% and a payout ratio of 56.70%.

Banque Cantonale Vaudoise acquired a new stake in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 14,037 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,002,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 8.4% in the first 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 during the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in 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 buying an additional 7,012 shares during the period. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,099,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 81.0% in the first quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. now owns 46,277 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,302,000 after buying an additional 20,707 shares during the period. Finally, Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. raised its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 1,283.7% during the first quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 265,485 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $18,945,000 after acquiring an additional 246,299 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Energy Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of Sempra Energy stock opened at $81.64 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $53.22 billion, a PE ratio of 17.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.63. Sempra Energy has a 52 week low of $61.90 and a 52 week high of $95.77. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $76.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $75.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.57.

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

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 26th. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 56.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup reduced their target price on Sempra Energy from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $72.00 to $71.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $88.00 target price (up previously from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sempra Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $80.75.

Insider Transactions at Sempra Energy

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

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