Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Shares Purchased by Envestnet Asset Management Inc.

Envestnet Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 4.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,494,066 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 64,829 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. owned 0.23% of Sempra Energy worth $106,617,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 81.0% during the first quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. now owns 46,277 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,302,000 after acquiring an additional 20,707 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 0.5% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,168,360 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $368,814,000 after acquiring an additional 25,254 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 20.1% during the first quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 4,415 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $315,000 after acquiring an additional 739 shares during the period. von Borstel & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the first quarter worth $104,000. Finally, IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 5.7% during the first quarter. IFM Investors Pty Ltd now owns 212,012 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $15,129,000 after acquiring an additional 11,389 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Barclays dropped their target price on Sempra Energy from $72.00 to $71.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $88.00 target price (up previously from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Sempra Energy from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Argus lowered Sempra Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $80.75.

Insider Transactions at Sempra Energy

In related news, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the business's 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 owned 16,969 shares in the company, valued at $1,260,117.94. The trade was a 32.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of SRE stock traded down $0.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $74.59. 2,819,308 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,882,120. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $75.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $76.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $48.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.63. Sempra Energy has a 12-month low of $61.90 and a 12-month high of $95.77. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company had revenue of $3.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.34 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 26th will be given a $0.645 dividend. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 26th. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.70%.

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.