Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. Acquires 15,970 Shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE)

Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. increased its stake in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 4.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 394,949 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 15,970 shares during the period. Sempra Energy accounts for 1.4% of Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position. Woodley Farra Manion Portfolio Management Inc. owned approximately 0.06% of Sempra Energy worth $28,431,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 8.4% in the first 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 during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its position 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. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in Sempra Energy during the first quarter valued at $1,099,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. lifted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 81.0% in the first quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. now owns 46,277 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,302,000 after buying an additional 20,707 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 1,283.7% in the first quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 265,485 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $18,945,000 after buying an additional 246,299 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Sempra Energy

In related news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 1,576 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $126,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total transaction of $595,193.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,969 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SRE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Sempra Energy from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $88.00 target price (up from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Sempra Energy from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Barclays dropped their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $72.00 to $71.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Sempra Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $80.75.

Sempra Energy Trading Down 0.9%

SRE traded down $0.71 during trading on Friday, reaching $80.97. 2,661,712 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,611,700. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.79 billion, a PE ratio of 17.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 0.63. The stock's 50-day moving average is $76.60 and its 200 day moving average is $75.85. Sempra Energy has a 12 month low of $61.90 and a 12 month high of $95.77.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced 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. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 22.15% and a return on equity of 8.55%. The firm had revenue of $3.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.34 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 26th were given a dividend of $0.645 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 26th. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 56.70%.

Sempra Energy Company 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.