Diversify Advisory Services LLC Raises Holdings in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE)

Diversify Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 335.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,697 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 9,013 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $881,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SRE. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 31,919 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,824,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares in the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas lifted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 781.4% during the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 37,346 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,276,000 after purchasing an additional 33,109 shares in the last quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Sempra Energy during the 4th quarter worth about $280,000. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. lifted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 623.3% during the 4th quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. now owns 17,359 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,522,000 after purchasing an additional 14,959 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 46.2% during the 4th quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 60,032 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,266,000 after purchasing an additional 18,976 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Sempra Energy

In other Sempra Energy news, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total value of $595,193.90. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 16,969 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,260,117.94. This trade represents a 32.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Price Performance

Shares of SRE stock opened at $78.25 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $51.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.63. Sempra Energy has a fifty-two week low of $61.90 and a fifty-two week high of $95.77. The business's 50 day moving average price is $75.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.97. 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 released its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.12. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.55% and a net margin of 22.15%. The company had revenue of $3.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.34 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders 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 3.30%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 26th. Sempra Energy's payout ratio is 56.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SRE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Sempra Energy from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Barclays set a $71.00 target price on Sempra Energy and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Sempra Energy from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Sempra Energy from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $80.75.

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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