First Trust Advisors LP Sells 371,560 Shares of Sempra Energy $SRE

First Trust Advisors LP trimmed its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 55.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 296,698 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 371,560 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP's holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $28,830,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SRE. Magellan Asset Management Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 4.2% during the first quarter. Magellan Asset Management Ltd now owns 2,258,369 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $219,446,000 after purchasing an additional 91,519 shares during the last quarter. Westpac Banking Corp lifted its position in Sempra Energy by 7.5% during the 1st quarter. Westpac Banking Corp now owns 21,278 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,068,000 after buying an additional 1,486 shares in the last quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions lifted its position in Sempra Energy by 18.2% during the 1st quarter. ABN Amro Investment Solutions now owns 50,767 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,933,000 after buying an additional 7,826 shares in the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in Sempra Energy by 2.3% during the 1st quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 122,569 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $11,910,000 after acquiring an additional 2,793 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Oslo Pensjonsforsikring AS bought a new stake in Sempra Energy during the 1st quarter worth about $265,000. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

Sempra Energy stock opened at $90.71 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $59.30 billion, a PE ratio of 30.75, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a current ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. Sempra Energy has a 1 year low of $78.97 and a 1 year high of $101.04. The company's 50-day moving average is $91.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $92.50.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.51. The company had revenue of $3.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.10 billion. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 8.20%. Sempra Energy's revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.44 EPS. Sempra Energy has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.100-5.700 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.870-5.370 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 5.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 25th were issued a dividend of $0.6575 per share. This represents a $2.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 25th. Sempra Energy's payout ratio is currently 89.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $108.00 target price on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $101.00 price target on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Thursday, July 16th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. They issued a "buy" rating for the company. Finally, BMO Capital Markets set a $102.00 price objective on Sempra Energy and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $104.23.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra Energy

In other Sempra Energy news, insider Diana L. Day sold 3,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.13, for a total transaction of $304,029.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 22,870 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,107,013.10. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Caroline Ann Winn sold 8,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.55, for a total value of $724,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 25,164 shares in the company, valued at $2,278,600.20. This represents a 24.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,900 shares of company stock worth $1,261,207. Insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Company Profile

Sempra Energy is a San Diego–based energy infrastructure company that develops, owns and operates businesses delivering electricity and natural gas. Its operations include regulated utility services that provide electric and gas distribution to residential, commercial and industrial customers, as well as non‑regulated infrastructure businesses that develop and manage large-scale energy assets.

The company's product and service portfolio spans electricity and natural gas delivery, transmission and storage, liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities, power generation and electric transmission projects.

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