Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Shares Bought by Buck Wealth Strategies LLC

Buck Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its stake in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 13.7% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 58,051 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 7,012 shares during the period. Buck Wealth Strategies LLC's holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $4,143,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. L & S Advisors Inc lifted its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 52.6% in the 4th quarter. L & S Advisors Inc now owns 41,601 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,649,000 after acquiring an additional 14,338 shares during the period. Blue Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $3,556,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Sempra Energy by 3.2% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,740,845 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $328,147,000 after purchasing an additional 115,372 shares during the last quarter. Crestline Management LP acquired a new stake in Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $6,183,000. Finally, Merit Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Sempra Energy by 171.2% during the first quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 11,107 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $793,000 after purchasing an additional 7,012 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra Energy

In other news, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 4,817 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.23, for a total transaction of $343,114.91. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 19,778 shares in the company, valued at $1,408,786.94. This represents a 19.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total transaction of $595,193.90. Following the transaction, the insider now 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on SRE. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Barclays lowered shares of Sempra Energy from an "overweight" rating to an "equal weight" rating and cut their target price for the company from $95.00 to $72.00 in a research note on Thursday, February 27th. Mizuho cut their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $92.00 to $76.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $88.00 target price (up from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $80.83.

Sempra Energy Stock Down 0.4%

SRE stock opened at $74.09 on Friday. Sempra Energy has a 52-week low of $61.90 and a 52-week high of $95.77. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $75.23 and its 200-day simple moving average is $77.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.64.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $3.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 22.15% and a return on equity of 8.55%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.34 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

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 paid a $0.645 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 26th. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.48%. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 56.70%.

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.

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