Hsbc Holdings PLC Reduces Stake in Sempra Energy $SRE

Key Points

• HSBC Holdings PLC trimmed its Sempra Energy stake by 1.9% in the first quarter, though it still owned 2.44 million shares valued at about $236.8 million.
• Several insiders sold shares recently, including Director Pablo Ferrero and EVP Caroline Ann Winn; insider sales totaled 13,900 shares worth about $1.26 million over the last quarter.
• Analysts remain mixed but generally positive on Sempra, with a Moderate Buy consensus and a price target of $104.08; the stock last traded at $92.31 after the company reported EPS in line with estimates but revenue below expectations.

Hsbc Holdings PLC reduced its stake in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 1.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,436,960 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 46,513 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.37% of Sempra Energy worth $236,784,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bell Investment Advisors Inc raised its holdings in Sempra Energy by 79.5% during the 1st quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 262 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 116 shares during the period. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new position in Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd boosted its stake in Sempra Energy by 57.7% during the fourth quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 347 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in Sempra Energy by 83.0% during the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 355 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Key Financial Inc increased its position in Sempra Energy by 73.6% during the fourth quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 361 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Sempra Energy news, Director Pablo Ferrero sold 2,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.53, for a total value of $232,778.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 15,423 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,380,821.19. This represents a 14.43% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Caroline Ann Winn sold 8,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 25,164 shares in the company, valued at $2,278,600.20. The trade was a 24.12% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 13,900 shares of company stock valued at $1,261,207 over the last quarter. 0.31% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently issued reports on SRE. Jefferies Financial Group set a $101.00 target price on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Thursday. Truist Financial set a $104.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $118.00 target price on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Monday, April 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $104.08.

Sempra Energy Trading Down 0.9%

SRE stock opened at $92.31 on Friday. Sempra Energy has a 12 month low of $76.43 and a 12 month high of $101.04. The firm's 50-day moving average is $91.94 and its 200 day moving average is $92.30. The company has a market capitalization of $60.34 billion, a PE ratio of 31.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.69 and a quick ratio of 1.66.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 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%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period 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. On average, research analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 5.12 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 25th were issued a $0.6575 dividend. The ex-dividend date was 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 presently 89.15%.

About Sempra Energy

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding SRE? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.