Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Has $33.50 Million Position in Sempra Energy $SRE

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group increased its Sempra Energy stake by 69.8% in the fourth quarter, ending with 379,460 shares valued at about $33.5 million.
• Institutional ownership remains heavy, with hedge funds and large investors holding about 89.65% of Sempra’s stock. Several major firms, including Vanguard and JPMorgan, also boosted their positions.
• Sempra reported Q1 earnings of $1.51 per share, matching estimates, and it declared a quarterly dividend of $0.6575 per share, equal to an annual yield of about 2.8%.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 69.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 379,460 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 155,944 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc. owned 0.06% of Sempra Energy worth $33,503,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,734,070 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $6,774,907,000 after buying an additional 1,008,476 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 54,071,206 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,865,115,000 after buying an additional 4,572,312 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 34,986,169 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,148,055,000 after buying an additional 606,101 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 106.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,428,007 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $938,325,000 after buying an additional 5,374,277 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 40.1% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 10,419,115 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $937,512,000 after buying an additional 2,984,409 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Karen L. Sedgwick sold 4,872 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.58, for a total value of $451,049.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 39,029 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,613,304.82. This represents a 11.10% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Cynthia J. Warner purchased 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average price of $92.95 per share, for a total transaction of $232,375.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 11,275 shares in the company, valued at $1,048,011.25. The trade was a 28.49% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. In the last 90 days, insiders have acquired 6,192 shares of company stock worth $576,979 and have sold 13,439 shares worth $1,243,713. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on SRE shares. Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and set a $118.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, May 10th. 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. Argus upgraded shares of Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Barclays restated an "overweight" rating and set a $105.00 price objective (up from $95.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Sempra Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $102.67.

Sempra Energy Stock Up 1.5%

Sempra Energy stock opened at $92.89 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.72 billion, a PE ratio of 31.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 0.60. The company's 50-day moving average is $94.54 and its 200-day moving average is $91.96. Sempra Energy has a fifty-two week low of $73.06 and a fifty-two week high of $101.04. 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 announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 8.20%. The business had revenue of $3.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.44 EPS. Sempra Energy's quarterly revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 5.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 25th will be paid a $0.6575 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 25th. This represents a $2.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio is 89.15%.

Sempra Energy Company Profile

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.

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