Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. Takes $18.47 Million Position in Sempra Energy $SRE

Key Points

• Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. has acquired a new stake in Sempra Energy, purchasing 243,700 shares valued at approximately $18.47 million during the second quarter.
• Sempra Energy reported earnings of $0.89 per share for its latest quarter, surpassing analyst estimates of $0.82, while its revenue was $3 billion, slightly below expectations.
• The company plans to pay a quarterly dividend of $0.645 per share on October 15th, reflecting an annual yield of 3.1%.

Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 243,700 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $18,465,000.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in SRE. Vident Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 26.0% during the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 15,938 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,398,000 after acquiring an additional 3,284 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter valued at $3,337,000. Waverly Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $286,000. Orion Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $76,000. Finally, Inspire Trust Co. N.A. acquired a new position in Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $3,263,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:SRE traded down $0.68 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $82.52. 6,043,669 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,184,208. 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 company has a market cap of $53.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.65. Sempra Energy has a one year low of $61.90 and a one year high of $95.77. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $81.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $76.17.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share (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 return on equity of 8.42% and a net margin of 20.28%.Sempra Energy's quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be issued a dividend of $0.645 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 62.32%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on SRE shares. Barclays raised their price target on Sempra Energy from $71.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $80.00 price target (up previously from $70.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $81.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Caroline Ann Winn sold 5,114 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.01, for a total transaction of $419,399.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 39,380 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,229,553.80. This trade represents a 11.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kevin C. Sagara sold 28,864 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.21, for a total value of $2,430,637.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 15,475 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,303,149.75. This represents a 65.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 35,554 shares of company stock worth $2,976,117. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.