Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Shares Purchased by KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS raised its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 0.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 502,024 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 3,900 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS owned 0.08% of Sempra Energy worth $36,086,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. L & S Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 52.6% during the fourth quarter. L & S Advisors Inc now owns 41,601 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,649,000 after purchasing an additional 14,338 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 8.4% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 173,408 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $12,374,000 after purchasing an additional 13,433 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 171.2% during the first quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 11,107 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $793,000 after purchasing an additional 7,012 shares in the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sempra Energy during the first quarter worth $1,099,000. Finally, Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 1,283.7% during the first quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 265,485 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $18,945,000 after purchasing an additional 246,299 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, 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 owned 15,600 shares in the company, valued at $1,248,000. This represents a 9.18% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total transaction of $595,193.90. Following the transaction, the insider owned 16,969 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,260,117.94. This trade represents a 32.08% 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 Performance

NYSE:SRE traded up $0.39 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $80.85. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,137,979 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,156,543. Sempra Energy has a 1 year low of $61.90 and a 1 year high of $95.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The stock 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. The business's fifty day moving average is $76.32 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.78.

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

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

SRE has been the topic of several research reports. Barclays cut their target price on Sempra Energy from $72.00 to $71.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Citigroup cut their target price on Sempra Energy from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. 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 report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $88.00 target price (up from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $80.75.

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.