Foundry Partners LLC Has $10.76 Million Position in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE)

Foundry Partners LLC lowered its holdings in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 29.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 150,712 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 64,327 shares during the quarter. Foundry Partners LLC's holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $10,755,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its stake in Sempra Energy by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 28,774 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,524,000 after buying an additional 1,013 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans grew its stake in Sempra Energy by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 31,919 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,824,000 after buying an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas grew its stake in Sempra Energy by 781.4% during the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 37,346 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,276,000 after buying an additional 33,109 shares during the last quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sempra Energy in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $280,000. Finally, Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. grew its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 623.3% in the 4th quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. now owns 17,359 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,522,000 after purchasing an additional 14,959 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Stock Up 2.6%

Shares of NYSE SRE traded up $1.96 on Friday, hitting $78.25. The company had a trading volume of 3,637,322 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,883,310. Sempra Energy has a 12-month low of $61.90 and a 12-month high of $95.77. The business has a 50 day moving average of $75.93 and a two-hundred day moving average of $76.05. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $51.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.20, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.63.

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

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 26th were given a $0.645 dividend. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 26th. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 56.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have weighed in on SRE shares. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Sempra Energy from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. BMO Capital Markets lifted 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. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $88.00 price target (up from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Sempra Energy from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on Sempra Energy from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 15th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $80.75.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of Sempra Energy 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 directly owned 16,969 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,260,117.94. This trade represents a 32.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.