KBC Group NV Boosts Stake in Sempra Energy $SRE

Key Points

• KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Sempra Energy by 67.8% in the first quarter, buying 57,503 additional shares and bringing its total holdings to 142,263 shares worth about $13.8 million.
• Sempra reported Q1 earnings of $1.51 per share, matching analyst expectations, though revenue of $3.65 billion came in below estimates and fell 3.9% year over year.
• The company continues to pay a sizable dividend, with a quarterly payout of $0.6575 per share and an annualized yield of about 2.9%, while Wall Street’s consensus rating remains Moderate Buy.

KBC Group NV increased its holdings in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 67.8% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 142,263 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 57,503 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV's holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $13,824,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,734,070 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $6,774,907,000 after buying an additional 1,008,476 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Sempra Energy by 5.2% during the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,810,449 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,273,460,000 after acquiring an additional 1,824,280 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake in Sempra Energy by 17.0% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 22,330,091 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,971,524,000 after acquiring an additional 3,250,783 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Sempra Energy by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,298,845 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,256,592,000 after acquiring an additional 116,554 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Sempra Energy by 16.6% during the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,163,523 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,073,918,000 after acquiring an additional 1,735,516 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SRE opened at $90.48 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $91.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $92.35. Sempra Energy has a 52-week low of $78.21 and a 52-week high of $101.04. The stock has a market capitalization of $59.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.56.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.51. The company had revenue of $3.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.10 billion. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.20% and a net margin of 14.31%.The business's revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.44 earnings per share. 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. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 5.12 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 25th were given a $0.6575 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 25th. This represents a $2.63 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 89.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SRE has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $105.00 to $103.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $105.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Truist Financial set a $104.00 target price on Sempra Energy and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, July 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $118.00 price target on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $104.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra Energy

In other news, Director Pablo Ferrero sold 2,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.53, for a total transaction of $232,778.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 15,423 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,380,821.19. The trade was a 14.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, insider Diana L. Day sold 3,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.13, for a total value of $304,029.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 22,870 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,107,013.10. This trade represents a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 13,900 shares of company stock valued at $1,261,207 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

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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