Securian Asset Management Inc. Has $1.57 Million Stock Position in Sempra Energy $SRE

Key Points

• Securian Asset Management cut its Sempra Energy stake by 43.7% in the fourth quarter, ending with 17,747 shares valued at about $1.57 million.
• Sempra reported Q1 earnings of $1.51 per share, matching estimates, but revenue of $3.66 billion fell short of expectations and was down 3.9% year over year.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.6575 per share, while analysts maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with an average price target of $103.

Securian Asset Management Inc. lowered its position in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 43.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 17,747 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 13,763 shares during the quarter. Securian Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $1,567,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in SRE. Empowered Funds LLC increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 52.5% during the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 18,008 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,285,000 after purchasing an additional 6,196 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP grew its holdings in Sempra Energy by 40.7% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 53,512 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,819,000 after acquiring an additional 15,474 shares during the last quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. grew its holdings in Sempra Energy by 6.2% during the 2nd quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. now owns 14,699 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,114,000 after acquiring an additional 858 shares during the last quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC grew its holdings in Sempra Energy by 78.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cary Street Partners Financial LLC now owns 771 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $58,000 after acquiring an additional 339 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Sempra Energy by 80.0% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 423,280 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,072,000 after acquiring an additional 188,131 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of NYSE SRE opened at $92.83 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.68 billion, a PE ratio of 31.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a current ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. Sempra Energy has a 1 year low of $73.06 and a 1 year high of $101.04. The firm's 50-day moving average is $95.00 and its 200-day moving average is $92.00.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.51. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 8.20%. The business had revenue of $3.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.44 EPS. Sempra Energy's quarterly revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sempra Energy has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.100-5.700 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.870-5.370 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Sempra Energy will post 5.11 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 19th were paid a dividend of $0.6575 per share. This represents a $2.63 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 19th. This is a positive change from Sempra Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Sempra Energy's payout ratio is 89.15%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SRE has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $105.00 price objective (up from $95.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Truist Financial set a $108.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Argus raised shares of Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $118.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $104.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sempra Energy has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $103.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra Energy

In related news, CAO Dyan Z. Wold sold 1,539 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.38, for a total transaction of $146,789.82. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,633 shares of the company's stock, valued at $441,895.54. This trade represents a 24.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Cynthia J. Warner acquired 2,500 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $92.95 per share, for a total transaction of $232,375.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 11,275 shares in the company, valued at $1,048,011.25. The trade was a 28.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have purchased 6,192 shares of company stock worth $576,979 and have sold 7,539 shares worth $706,906. 0.31% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Sempra Energy

Sempra Energy is a San Diego–based energy infrastructure company that develops, owns and operates businesses delivering electricity and natural gas. Its operations include regulated utility services that provide electric and gas distribution to residential, commercial and industrial customers, as well as non‑regulated infrastructure businesses that develop and manage large-scale energy assets.

The company's product and service portfolio spans electricity and natural gas delivery, transmission and storage, liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities, power generation and electric transmission projects.

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