Partners Group Holding AG Acquires 292,123 Shares of Sempra Energy $SRE

Key Points

• Partners Group Holding AG increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 114.1% in the first quarter, now owning 548,110 shares valued at approximately $39.11 million.
• Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of Sempra Energy, which has seen increased holdings from major investors like Nuveen LLC and Janus Henderson Group PLC.
• Despite reporting earnings of $0.89 per share, Sempra Energy's revenue of $3 billion for the quarter fell short of analysts' estimates of $3.35 billion, marking a 0.4% decrease year-over-year.

Partners Group Holding AG increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 114.1% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 548,110 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 292,123 shares during the quarter. Sempra Energy accounts for about 1.6% of Partners Group Holding AG's investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest holding. Partners Group Holding AG owned about 0.08% of Sempra Energy worth $39,113,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. Cresset Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Sempra Energy by 1,909.0% during the 1st quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 119,453 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $8,601,000 after acquiring an additional 113,507 shares during the period. Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Sempra Energy by 3.1% during the 1st quarter. Forvis Mazars Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,862 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $775,000 after acquiring an additional 328 shares during the period. Oak Grove Capital LLC boosted its position in Sempra Energy by 41.4% during the 1st quarter. Oak Grove Capital LLC now owns 38,600 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,754,000 after acquiring an additional 11,300 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Sempra Energy by 92.0% during the 1st quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC now owns 615,783 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $43,942,000 after acquiring an additional 295,047 shares during the period. Finally, Aberdeen Group plc boosted its position in Sempra Energy by 83.6% during the 1st quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 603,702 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $42,271,000 after acquiring an additional 274,862 shares during the period. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra Energy

In other 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 transaction of $126,080.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 15,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,248,000. This represents a 9.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Caroline Ann Winn sold 5,114 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.01, for a total value of $419,399.14. Following the completion of the sale, 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. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SRE has been the subject of several research reports. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $80.00 price target (up from $70.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Monday, August 4th. Barclays reduced their price target on Sempra Energy from $72.00 to $71.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $88.00 price target (up from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Sempra Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $81.58.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

NYSE SRE traded down $0.26 during trading on Thursday, hitting $82.14. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,093,468 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,515,932. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average price of $77.95 and a 200 day moving average price of $75.74. The firm has a market cap of $53.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.62. 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 released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 in the previous year, the business posted $0.89 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Sempra Energy

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.