Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd Purchases New Shares in Sempra Energy $SRE

Key Points

• Catalyst Funds Management opened a new position in Sempra Energy, buying 25,100 shares valued at about $2.2 million in the fourth quarter.
• Sempra reported Q1 EPS of $1.51, matching analyst estimates, though revenue of $3.66 billion came in below expectations and was down 3.9% year over year.
• The utility also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.6575 per share, implying an annualized yield of 2.8%, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a $102.67 average target price.

Catalyst Funds Management Pty Ltd purchased a new stake in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 25,100 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $2,216,000.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO boosted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 1.7% in the third quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 6,911 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $622,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares in the last quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 1.4% in the third quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,587 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $773,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton boosted its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 5,191 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $458,000 after buying an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Advisor OS LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Advisor OS LLC now owns 9,681 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $871,000 after buying an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Silvia Mccoll Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Silvia Mccoll Wealth Management LLC now owns 9,045 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $799,000 after buying an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Pablo Ferrero sold 2,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.53, for a total value of $232,778.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 15,423 shares in the company, valued at $1,380,821.19. The trade was a 14.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard J. Mark purchased 2,692 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $93.30 per share, for a total transaction of $251,163.60. Following the purchase, the director owned 17,376 shares in the company, valued at $1,621,180.80. This represents a 18.33% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have purchased 6,192 shares of company stock worth $576,979 and have sold 13,439 shares worth $1,243,713. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Sempra Energy stock opened at $92.89 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $60.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.49, a PEG ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 0.60. The firm's 50-day moving average is $94.54 and its 200 day moving average is $91.96. Sempra Energy has a 1 year low of $73.06 and a 1 year high of $101.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.69 and a quick ratio of 1.66.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51. The company had revenue of $3.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.10 billion. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 8.20%. Sempra Energy's revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.44 EPS. Sempra Energy has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.100-5.700 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.870-5.370 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 5.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 25th will be paid a $0.6575 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 25th. This represents a $2.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Sempra Energy's payout ratio is presently 89.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and set a $118.00 target price on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Argus upgraded shares of Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley set a $104.00 target price on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and set a $105.00 target price (up from $95.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday, May 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sempra Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $102.67.

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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