Hsbc Holdings PLC Buys 915,072 Shares of Sempra Energy $SRE

Key Points

• Hsbc Holdings PLC has increased its ownership in Sempra Energy by 64.7%, acquiring an additional 915,072 shares, bringing its total holdings to 2,328,655 shares valued at approximately $165.6 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC and Merit Financial Group LLC, have also increased their stakes in Sempra Energy recently, with 89.65% of the stock owned by institutional investors.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed ratings on Sempra Energy, with the company's average target price currently set at $81.58 and an overall rating of "Moderate Buy".

Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its stake in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 64.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,328,655 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 915,072 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.36% of Sempra Energy worth $165,647,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Sempra Energy by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 173,408 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $12,374,000 after purchasing an additional 13,433 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in Sempra Energy by 171.2% during the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 11,107 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $793,000 after purchasing an additional 7,012 shares in the last quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors boosted its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 8.0% in the 1st quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors now owns 49,570 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,569,000 after buying an additional 3,677 shares during the last quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Sempra Energy in the 1st quarter worth approximately $483,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 81.0% in the 1st quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. now owns 46,277 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,302,000 after buying an additional 20,707 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays cut their target price on Sempra Energy from $72.00 to $71.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $88.00 target price (up previously from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $80.00 target price (up previously from $70.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $81.58.

Insider Activity at Sempra Energy

In other Sempra Energy news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 1,576 shares of the 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 sale, the senior vice president owned 15,600 shares in the company, valued at $1,248,000. This represents a 9.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Caroline Ann Winn sold 5,114 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.01, for a total value of $419,399.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 39,380 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,229,553.80. This represents a 11.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Sempra Energy Price Performance

Sempra Energy stock opened at $82.6350 on Wednesday. Sempra Energy has a 12 month low of $61.90 and a 12 month high of $95.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $77.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $75.69. The company has a market cap of $53.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.96, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.62.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.07. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.42% and a net margin of 20.28%.The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.89 earnings per share. Sempra Energy's revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

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.

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