International Assets Investment Management LLC Takes Position in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE)

International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 3,678 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $262,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 63,018,055 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,527,944,000 after buying an additional 490,269 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Sempra Energy by 11.9% in the fourth quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 38,407,154 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,369,076,000 after acquiring an additional 4,082,261 shares during the period. FMR LLC boosted its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 20,489,918 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,797,376,000 after acquiring an additional 1,511,313 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $1,535,000,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,072,966 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,143,248,000 after acquiring an additional 311,094 shares during the period. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sempra Energy Price Performance

NYSE:SRE traded up $0.40 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $76.17. The stock had a trading volume of 3,760,334 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,860,971. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.66 billion, a PE ratio of 16.74, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.63. Sempra Energy has a 52 week low of $61.90 and a 52 week high of $95.77. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $75.90 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $77.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.57.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.12. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 22.15% and a return on equity of 8.55%. The company had revenue of $3.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.90 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.34 earnings per share. Sempra Energy's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 26th will be given a $0.645 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 26th. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.39%. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 56.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently commented on SRE shares. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Sempra Energy from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Sempra Energy from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Argus lowered shares of Sempra Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target 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. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sempra Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $80.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total value of $595,193.90. Following the sale, the insider owned 16,969 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,260,117.94. This represents a 32.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.