Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Has $7.11 Million Position in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE)

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. significantly increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 1,822.3%, owning nearly 100,000 shares valued at approximately $7.1 million.
• The majority of Sempra Energy's stock, 89.65%, is held by institutional investors and hedge funds, indicating strong institutional interest.
• Sempra Energy recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.645, which represents an annualized dividend yield of 3.2%.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 1,822.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 99,650 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 94,466 shares during the period. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.'s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $7,111,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Sempra Energy by 8.4% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 173,408 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $12,374,000 after buying an additional 13,433 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 171.2% in the first quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 11,107 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $793,000 after acquiring an additional 7,012 shares during the last quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 81.0% during the first quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. now owns 46,277 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,302,000 after acquiring an additional 20,707 shares during the period. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC bought a new position in Sempra Energy in the first quarter worth $1,099,000. Finally, Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. increased its holdings in Sempra Energy by 1,283.7% in the 1st quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 265,485 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $18,945,000 after buying an additional 246,299 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Sempra Energy

In other Sempra Energy news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 1,576 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $126,080.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 15,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,248,000. The trade was a 9.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total value of $595,193.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 16,969 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,260,117.94. The trade was a 32.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of SRE stock traded up $2.11 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $83.08. 4,358,636 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,185,058. Sempra Energy has a 52 week low of $61.90 and a 52 week high of $95.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $54.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.26, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.62. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $76.67 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $75.76. 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 (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.12. The company had revenue of $3.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.55% and a net margin of 22.15%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $1.34 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 26th were given a dividend of $0.645 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 26th. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $88.00 price target (up previously from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on 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 price objective on Sempra Energy from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $72.00 to $71.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Sempra Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $81.58.

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.