Natixis Advisors LLC Has $28.37 Million Stake in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE)

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in Sempra Energy by 41.1%, maintaining 397,506 shares valued at approximately $28.37 million.
• Several other institutional investors have also modified their positions, with a collective ownership of 89.65% by hedge funds and other institutions in the company's stock.
• Sempra Energy recently paid a quarterly dividend of $0.645 per share, resulting in an annualized dividend yield of 3.2%.

Natixis Advisors LLC reduced its stake in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 41.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 397,506 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 277,164 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned about 0.06% of Sempra Energy worth $28,366,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of SRE. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $41,000. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the first quarter worth about $38,000. Eastern Bank raised its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 73.7% during the first quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 580 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $41,000 after purchasing an additional 246 shares during the period. Finally, Cary Street Partners Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $56,000. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Sempra Energy news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 1,576 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $126,080.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 15,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,248,000. This represents a 9.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,260,117.94. This represents a 32.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Sempra Energy Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE:SRE traded down $1.01 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $81.36. The company had a trading volume of 2,770,853 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,600,274. Sempra Energy has a 1-year low of $61.90 and a 1-year high of $95.77. The stock has a market cap of $53.04 billion, a PE ratio of 17.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.62. The business's 50 day moving average price is $76.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $75.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.90 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.34 EPS. Sempra Energy's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 26th were issued a $0.645 dividend. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 26th. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 56.70%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SRE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. 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. Barclays dropped their price target 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. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $88.00 target price (up previously from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. 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 report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price objective on Sempra Energy from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $81.58.

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.