Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. Acquires 27,196 Shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE)

Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 14.3% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 217,319 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 27,196 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $15,508,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 128.9% in the 1st quarter. Kentucky Retirement Systems Insurance Trust Fund now owns 18,424 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,315,000 after purchasing an additional 10,375 shares during the last quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 6.3% during the first quarter. Childress Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,111 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $222,000 after buying an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Buck Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 13.7% during the 1st quarter. Buck Wealth Strategies LLC now owns 58,051 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,143,000 after buying an additional 7,012 shares during the last quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 30.4% in the 1st quarter. Intact Investment Management Inc. now owns 78,100 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $5,573,000 after acquiring an additional 18,200 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAM Holding AG acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,437,000. 89.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on SRE shares. Barclays downgraded shares of Sempra Energy from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $95.00 to $72.00 in a report on Thursday, February 27th. UBS Group cut shares of Sempra Energy from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $95.00 to $78.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Argus lowered Sempra Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Sempra Energy from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $88.00 price objective (up from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $80.83.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra Energy

In other Sempra Energy news, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the firm'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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 16,969 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,260,117.94. This trade represents a 32.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 4,817 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.23, for a total transaction of $343,114.91. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,778 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,408,786.94. This trade represents a 19.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:SRE traded up $0.29 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $76.08. 3,269,177 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,886,645. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $75.35 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $77.52. The company has a market cap of $49.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.57. Sempra Energy has a 52 week low of $61.90 and a 52 week high of $95.77.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $3.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.90 billion. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.55% and a net margin of 22.15%. The firm's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.34 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 26th will be issued a dividend of $0.645 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 26th. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.39%. Sempra Energy's payout ratio is presently 56.70%.

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.