Comerica Bank Sells 19,290 Shares of Sempra Energy $SRE

Comerica Bank decreased its holdings in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 11.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 143,571 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 19,290 shares during the quarter. Comerica Bank's holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $12,676,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. raised its position in Sempra Energy by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 85,334 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $7,678,000 after purchasing an additional 13,864 shares during the last quarter. Peak Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 190.1% during the fourth quarter. Peak Financial Advisors LLC now owns 26,552 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,344,000 after acquiring an additional 17,400 shares during the last quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ raised its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 5.7% during the third quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 203,402 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $18,302,000 after acquiring an additional 11,020 shares during the last quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. raised its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 5.2% during the third quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 2,143,205 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $192,846,000 after acquiring an additional 106,380 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the third quarter worth $150,993,000. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of Sempra Energy stock opened at $92.88 on Wednesday. Sempra Energy has a 1 year low of $72.99 and a 1 year high of $101.04. The business has a 50-day moving average of $95.07 and a two-hundred day moving average of $91.94. The company has a market capitalization of $60.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 0.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.57.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.16. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.22% and a net margin of 13.27%.The company had revenue of $3.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.82 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.50 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Sempra Energy will post 5.11 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 19th were issued a $0.6575 dividend. This represents a $2.63 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is an increase from Sempra Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 19th. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 95.29%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Sempra Energy from $98.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley set a $104.00 target price on Sempra Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Argus upgraded Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and set a $118.00 target price on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, March 29th. Two research analysts have 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, Sempra Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $102.67.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Jennifer M. Kirk acquired 1,000 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $93.44 per share, with a total value of $93,440.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $93,440. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 1,128 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.69, for a total value of $109,066.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 21,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,091,598.08. This represents a 4.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders purchased 6,192 shares of company stock valued at $576,979 and sold 7,539 shares valued at $706,906. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Sempra Energy

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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