Sempra Energy $SRE Shares Purchased by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its holdings in Sempra Energy by 72.7%, acquiring an additional 19,924 shares, bringing their total ownership to 47,319 shares valued at approximately $3.38 million.
• Multiple institutional investors also raised their stakes in Sempra Energy, with Merit Financial Group significantly increasing its position by 171.2%.
• Analysts have a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Sempra Energy, with a target price of $82.33, following recent upgrades from several firms including Barclays and BMO Capital Markets.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 72.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 47,319 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 19,924 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.'s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $3,377,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp grew its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 33.0% in the first quarter. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp now owns 740,728 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $52,858,000 after purchasing an additional 183,686 shares in the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the 1st quarter worth approximately $333,000. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 68.5% during the 1st quarter. Van Hulzen Asset Management LLC now owns 9,875 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $705,000 after buying an additional 4,016 shares during the last quarter. Tortoise Capital Advisors L.L.C. raised its position in Sempra Energy by 36.0% in the 1st quarter. Tortoise Capital Advisors L.L.C. now owns 1,440,125 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $102,767,000 after purchasing an additional 380,970 shares during the last quarter. Finally, 1832 Asset Management L.P. raised its position in Sempra Energy by 77.9% in the 1st quarter. 1832 Asset Management L.P. now owns 238,555 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $17,023,000 after purchasing an additional 104,455 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

SRE traded up $1.05 during trading on Friday, hitting $82.49. The stock had a trading volume of 3,485,156 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,517,606. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.92, a PEG ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.65. The company's 50-day moving average price is $79.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $75.68. Sempra Energy has a twelve month low of $61.90 and a twelve month high of $95.77.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.07. The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.35 billion. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 20.28% and a return on equity of 8.42%. Sempra Energy's revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.89 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $80.00 price target (up previously from $70.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $71.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Sempra Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $82.33.

Insider Transactions at Sempra Energy

In other news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 1,576 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value 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 trade represents a 9.18% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Caroline Ann Winn sold 5,114 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 14th. The shares were 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 owned 39,380 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,229,553.80. This represents a 11.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

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.