79,894 Shares in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Acquired by Edgestream Partners L.P.

Edgestream Partners L.P. purchased a new position in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 79,894 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $5,701,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC grew its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 265.2% during the 4th quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the period. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $41,000. 89.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sempra Energy Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of SRE stock traded up $1.10 on Wednesday, hitting $75.24. 3,596,642 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,875,565. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $75.86 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $76.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.57. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.05 billion, a PE ratio of 16.54, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.63. Sempra Energy has a twelve month low of $61.90 and a twelve month high of $95.77.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last posted 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 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 analysts' expectations of $3.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.34 earnings per share. Sempra Energy's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 26th were paid a dividend of $0.645 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 26th. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.43%. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.70%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on SRE. Barclays set a $71.00 price target on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $88.00 price target (up previously from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sempra Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $80.75.

Insider Transactions at Sempra Energy

In other Sempra Energy news, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total transaction of $595,193.90. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 16,969 shares in the company, valued at $1,260,117.94. This represents a 32.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Sempra Energy 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.