Davidson Investment Advisors Boosts Holdings in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE)

Davidson Investment Advisors grew its position in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 12.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 433,307 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 49,266 shares during the quarter. Sempra Energy comprises about 1.5% of Davidson Investment Advisors' portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Davidson Investment Advisors owned 0.07% of Sempra Energy worth $30,921,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. L & S Advisors Inc grew its holdings in Sempra Energy by 52.6% during the 4th quarter. L & S Advisors Inc now owns 41,601 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,649,000 after purchasing an additional 14,338 shares during the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Sempra Energy by 171.2% in the first quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 11,107 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $793,000 after acquiring an additional 7,012 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 8.4% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 173,408 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $12,374,000 after purchasing an additional 13,433 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,099,000. Finally, Blue Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy in the 4th quarter valued at about $3,556,000. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of SRE stock traded down $0.74 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $74.38. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,207,162 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,860,366. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The company has a 50 day moving average of $75.97 and a 200 day moving average of $76.75. Sempra Energy has a 12-month low of $61.90 and a 12-month high of $95.77. The stock has a market cap of $48.49 billion, a PE ratio of 16.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.63.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.12. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 22.15% and a return on equity of 8.55%. The company had revenue of $3.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.34 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.645 per share. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 26th. Sempra Energy's payout ratio is 56.70%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on SRE shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $88.00 price objective (up previously from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Sempra Energy from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Argus downgraded Sempra Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $80.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra Energy

In other Sempra Energy news, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total transaction of $595,193.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,969 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,260,117.94. This represents a 32.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Sempra Energy

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.