Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Makes New Investment in Sempra Energy $SRE

Key Points

• Fjarde AP Fonden opened a new position in Sempra Energy in the first quarter, buying 70,650 shares valued at about $6.9 million.
• Sempra reported Q1 earnings per share of $1.51, matching estimates, but revenue of $3.65 billion came in below expectations and fell 3.9% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.6575 per share, implying an annualized yield of 2.8%, while analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $102.75.

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund purchased a new stake in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 70,650 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $6,865,000.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Sempra Energy by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,734,070 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $6,774,907,000 after purchasing an additional 1,008,476 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its position in Sempra Energy by 9.2% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 54,071,206 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,865,115,000 after acquiring an additional 4,572,312 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its position in Sempra Energy by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,810,449 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,273,460,000 after acquiring an additional 1,824,280 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 17.0% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 22,330,091 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,971,524,000 after acquiring an additional 3,250,783 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,298,845 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,256,592,000 after acquiring an additional 116,554 shares during the period. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sempra Energy Stock Down 0.1%

SRE stock opened at $93.01 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $60.80 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 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 52 week low of $73.18 and a 52 week high of $101.04. The firm's 50-day moving average is $91.82 and its two-hundred day moving average is $91.92.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.51. The company had revenue of $3.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.10 billion. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.20% and a net margin of 14.31%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm 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. On average, analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 5.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 25th will be issued a dividend of $0.6575 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 25th. This represents a $2.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Sempra Energy's payout ratio is currently 89.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SRE has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $105.00 to $103.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $118.00 target price on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $98.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $102.75.

Insider Activity at Sempra Energy

In other 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 value of $304,029.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 22,870 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,107,013.10. This represents a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 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 dated Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.55, for a total value of $724,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 25,164 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,278,600.20. This trade represents a 24.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 13,900 shares of company stock valued at $1,261,207. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy 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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