Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Shares Sold by KBC Group NV

KBC Group NV lowered its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 9.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 55,482 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 5,733 shares during the quarter. KBC Group NV's holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $3,959,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in SRE. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sempra Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Sempra Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC raised its holdings in Sempra Energy by 265.2% during the 4th quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 244 shares during the period. Finally, Mattson Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SRE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Sempra Energy from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Sempra Energy from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $88.00 price objective (up previously from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sempra Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $80.83.

Sempra Energy Stock Up 1.0%

NYSE:SRE traded up $0.73 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $75.55. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,972,703 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,869,530. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $75.95 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $76.95. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.57. The company has a market capitalization of $49.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.63. Sempra Energy has a 12 month low of $61.90 and a 12 month high of $95.77.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.12. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.55% and a net margin of 22.15%. The firm had revenue of $3.80 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.34 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 26th will be issued a $0.645 dividend. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 26th. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 56.70%.

Insider Activity

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