Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC Takes $1.10 Million Position in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE)

Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 15,403 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,099,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SRE. Lindbrook Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 2,410 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $211,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its position in Sempra Energy by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 8,194 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $719,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 5.1% in the 4th quarter. Pinnacle West Asset Management Inc. now owns 2,585 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $227,000 after buying an additional 125 shares during the period. MJP Associates Inc. ADV lifted its position in Sempra Energy by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 6,195 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $543,000 after buying an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Sempra Energy by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,639 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $232,000 after buying an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE SRE traded up $0.19 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $74.27. The stock had a trading volume of 3,257,822 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,799,138. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $74.84 and its 200 day simple moving average is $78.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market cap of $48.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.64. Sempra Energy has a fifty-two week low of $61.90 and a fifty-two week high of $95.77.

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

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 26th will be issued a $0.645 dividend. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SRE has been the subject of a number of research reports. Argus cut Sempra Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $92.00 to $76.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Sempra Energy from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $87.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Sempra Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $80.83.

Insider Activity at Sempra Energy

In related news, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 4,817 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.23, for a total value of $343,114.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,408,786.94. This represents a 19.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total value of $595,193.90. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.