Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Shares Purchased by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Key Points

• JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 42.7%, owning nearly 4.65 million shares worth approximately $331.68 million.
• Institutional investors collectively own 89.65% of Sempra Energy's stock, indicating strong support from major financial entities.
• Sempra Energy recently reported an EPS of $0.89, surpassing analysts' expectations, although their revenue was slightly down compared to the previous year.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 42.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,647,990 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 1,391,433 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned about 0.71% of Sempra Energy worth $331,681,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SRE. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Sempra Energy by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 64,238,102 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,584,032,000 after buying an additional 1,220,047 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its holdings in Sempra Energy by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,181,693 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $629,978,000 after buying an additional 538,919 shares in the last quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp grew its holdings in Sempra Energy by 0.5% during the 1st quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,168,360 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $368,814,000 after buying an additional 25,254 shares in the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its holdings in Sempra Energy by 71.3% during the 4th quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 4,651,923 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $408,069,000 after buying an additional 1,936,865 shares in the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 4,601,372 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $403,632,000 after purchasing an additional 258,979 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

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

Sempra Energy Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of SRE stock traded down $0.23 on Thursday, hitting $81.99. The stock had a trading volume of 2,775,444 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,572,359. The company has a market cap of $53.50 billion, a PE ratio of 19.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.62. 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 50 day moving average price of $77.47 and a 200 day moving average price of $75.76. Sempra Energy has a one year low of $61.90 and a one year high of $95.77.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.35 billion. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 20.28% and a return on equity of 8.42%. The firm's revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.89 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $80.00 target price (up from $70.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Monday, August 4th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $88.00 target price (up from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $72.00 to $71.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $81.58.

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.