IFM Investors Pty Ltd Acquires 11,200 Shares of Sempra Energy $SRE

Key Points

• IFM Investors Pty Ltd increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 6.6% in the second quarter, owning 179,828 shares valued at approximately $13.6 million.
• Analysts have given Sempra Energy a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a price target of $81.27, indicating positive market sentiment.
• Sempra Energy announced a quarterly dividend of $0.645 per share, representing a 3.1% yield, with the dividend payout ratio currently at 62.32%.

IFM Investors Pty Ltd grew its position in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 6.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 179,828 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 11,200 shares during the period. IFM Investors Pty Ltd's holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $13,626,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its holdings in Sempra Energy by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 8,169 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $583,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the period. Pingora Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 48.3% in the first quarter. Pingora Partners LLC now owns 430 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 5.0% during the first quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft now owns 2,988 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $211,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares during the period. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.3% during the first quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 11,334 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $809,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Finally, Wesbanco Bank Inc. increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 5.1% during the first quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 3,212 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $229,000 after acquiring an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Energy Trading Up 4.2%

SRE stock traded up $3.48 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $85.85. 1,534,881 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,498,073. The firm has a market capitalization of $56.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.75, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.65. Sempra Energy has a 12-month low of $61.90 and a 12-month high of $95.77. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $81.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $76.17.

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

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.645 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Sempra Energy's payout ratio is presently 62.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on SRE. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $80.00 price target (up previously from $70.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Barclays lifted their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $71.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $81.27.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 value of $126,080.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 15,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,248,000. This trade represents a 9.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Kevin C. Sagara sold 28,864 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.21, for a total value of $2,430,637.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 15,475 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,303,149.75. This trade represents a 65.10% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 35,554 shares of company stock valued at $2,976,117 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy 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.