Quantbot Technologies LP Makes New Investment in Sempra Energy $SRE

Key Points

• Quantbot Technologies LP has made a new investment in Sempra Energy, purchasing 50,505 shares valued at approximately $3.6 million in the first quarter.
• Several institutional investors, including Vanguard Group and Wellington Management, have increased their stakes in Sempra Energy, indicating a growing confidence in the utilities provider.
• Despite a net margin of 20.28%, Sempra Energy reported a slight year-over-year revenue decline, generating $3 billion during the most recent quarter against expectations of $3.35 billion.

Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 50,505 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,604,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Sempra Energy by 1.9% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 64,238,102 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,584,032,000 after purchasing an additional 1,220,047 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its stake in Sempra Energy by 26.8% during the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 48,686,047 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,474,236,000 after purchasing an additional 10,278,893 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in Sempra Energy by 12.4% during the first quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 7,489,903 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $534,479,000 after purchasing an additional 823,663 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in Sempra Energy by 8.1% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,181,693 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $629,978,000 after purchasing an additional 538,919 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its stake in Sempra Energy by 0.5% during the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,168,360 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $368,814,000 after purchasing an additional 25,254 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Sempra Energy

In related news, EVP Caroline Ann Winn sold 5,114 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 39,380 shares in the company, valued at $3,229,553.80. The trade was a 11.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 1,576 shares of Sempra Energy 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 15,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,248,000. This trade represents a 9.18% 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.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

NYSE SRE opened at $82.6350 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. The company has a 50 day moving average of $77.82 and a 200-day moving average of $75.69. Sempra Energy has a 1-year low of $61.90 and a 1-year high of $95.77. The firm has a market cap of $53.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.96, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.62.

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 for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.07. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 20.28% and a return on equity of 8.42%. The firm had revenue of $3 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.89 EPS. Sempra Energy's revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.

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