Cambiar Investors LLC Decreases Holdings in Sempra Energy $SRE

Key Points

• Cambiar Investors LLC cut its stake in Sempra Energy by 21.1% in Q4, selling 117,285 shares and now holding 438,255 shares valued at about $38.7 million (1.7% of the fund's portfolio).
• Sempra increased its quarterly dividend to $0.6575 (annualized $2.63) for a yield of 2.7%, though the dividend payout ratio is high at 95.29%.
• Insiders were active: Director Cynthia J. Warner bought 2,500 shares at $92.95 while CAO Dyan Z. Wold sold 1,539 shares at $95.38; Sempra beat Q4 EPS estimates ($1.28 vs. $1.12) but slightly missed revenue, and analysts maintain a consensus "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $100.73.

Cambiar Investors LLC cut its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 21.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 438,255 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 117,285 shares during the quarter. Sempra Energy makes up 1.7% of Cambiar Investors LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Cambiar Investors LLC owned 0.07% of Sempra Energy worth $38,694,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Sempra Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Activest Wealth Management increased its holdings in Sempra Energy by 74.6% in the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 391 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in Sempra Energy in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. increased its holdings in Sempra Energy by 117.4% in the 3rd quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 424 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Sempra Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Sempra Energy

In other Sempra Energy news, Director Cynthia J. Warner acquired 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $92.95 per share, with a total value of $232,375.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 11,275 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,048,011.25. This trade represents a 28.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Dyan Z. Wold sold 1,539 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.38, for a total value of $146,789.82. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,633 shares of the company's stock, valued at $441,895.54. The trade was a 24.94% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have bought 6,192 shares of company stock valued at $576,979 and have sold 7,539 shares valued at $706,906. Insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SRE opened at $98.87 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $94.05 and a 200 day moving average of $91.60. The stock has a market cap of $64.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.82, a P/E/G ratio of 3.74 and a beta of 0.67. Sempra Energy has a 12 month low of $65.65 and a 12 month high of $101.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $3.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.82 billion. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 13.27% and a return on equity of 8.22%. Sempra Energy's revenue for the quarter was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.50 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.6575 per share. This is an increase from Sempra Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.63 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 19th. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 95.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Sempra Energy from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $101.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Friday, February 20th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $100.00 price objective (up from $96.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Friday, March 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Argus raised Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $100.73.

Sempra Energy 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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