Sempra Energy $SRE Stock Holdings Lifted by Horizon Investments LLC

Key Points

• Horizon Investments LLC increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 12.4%, holding 47,171 shares valued at approximately $3.37 million after the purchase of additional shares in the first quarter.
• Several other hedge funds have also acquired stakes in Sempra Energy, contributing to institutional ownership which now stands at 89.65%.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Sempra Energy, with price targets ranging from $71 to $88, reflecting a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".

Horizon Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 12.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 47,171 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 5,194 shares during the period. Horizon Investments LLC's holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $3,366,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter worth $41,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy in the first quarter worth $38,000. Eastern Bank increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 73.7% in the first quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 580 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $41,000 after acquiring an additional 246 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter worth $56,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Stock Up 2.0%

SRE stock traded up $1.6450 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $82.6350. 3,136,410 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,547,812. The company has a market capitalization of $53.92 billion, a PE ratio of 19.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Sempra Energy has a twelve month low of $61.90 and a twelve month high of $95.77. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $77.68 and a 200 day simple moving average of $75.64.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.35 billion. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 20.28% and a return on equity of 8.42%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.89 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra Energy

In other Sempra Energy news, EVP Caroline Ann Winn sold 5,114 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.01, for a total transaction of $419,399.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 39,380 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,229,553.80. This trade represents a 11.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 1,576 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $126,080.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 15,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,248,000. This represents a 9.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SRE has been the subject of several recent research reports. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $72.00 to $71.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $88.00 price target (up from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $80.00 price target (up from $70.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Monday, August 4th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sempra Energy presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $81.58.

About Sempra Energy

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.