J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Takes $1.40 Million Position in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE)

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 19,557 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,396,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its holdings in Sempra Energy by 11.9% in the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 38,407,154 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,369,076,000 after acquiring an additional 4,082,261 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its holdings in Sempra Energy by 8.0% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 20,489,918 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,797,376,000 after acquiring an additional 1,511,313 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Sempra Energy in the 4th quarter valued at $1,535,000,000. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake 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 buying an additional 311,094 shares during the period. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in shares of 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 during the period. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Energy Stock Up 0.5%

Sempra Energy stock traded up $0.39 during trading on Friday, reaching $80.85. 2,137,979 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,156,543. The company's 50-day moving average is $76.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.78. 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 has a 52-week low of $61.90 and a 52-week high of $95.77. The firm has a market cap of $52.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.77, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.63.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.12. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 22.15% and a return on equity of 8.55%. The firm had revenue of $3.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.34 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 26th were given a $0.645 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 26th. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.19%. Sempra Energy's payout ratio is currently 56.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently issued reports on SRE shares. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $88.00 price objective (up from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Barclays lowered 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. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $80.75.

Insider Transactions at Sempra Energy

In other Sempra Energy news, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total value of $595,193.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,969 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,260,117.94. This represents a 32.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 1,576 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were 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 directly owned 15,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,248,000. The trade was a 9.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

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.