Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund Decreases Stock Position in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE)

Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund cut its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 30.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 55,479 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 23,770 shares during the quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund's holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $3,959,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 5.2% during the fourth quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 3,210 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $295,000 after purchasing an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 22.8% during the fourth quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 45,647 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,004,000 after buying an additional 8,475 shares during the period. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $14,760,000. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 18.9% during the fourth quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,153 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $101,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the period. Finally, Flputnam Investment Management Co. increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Flputnam Investment Management Co. now owns 53,982 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $4,735,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the period. 89.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sempra Energy Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:SRE traded up $0.38 on Friday, hitting $75.32. 5,966,282 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,857,209. Sempra Energy has a 52 week low of $61.90 and a 52 week high of $95.77. 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 50 day simple moving average of $75.72 and a 200-day simple moving average of $77.23. The company has a market cap of $49.10 billion, a PE ratio of 16.55, a PEG ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.64.

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

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 26th will be given a $0.645 dividend. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.43%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 26th. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.70%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on SRE shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 26th. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $88.00 price objective (up from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price 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 cut their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $80.83.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total value of $595,193.90. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 16,969 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,260,117.94. The trade was a 32.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 4,817 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.23, for a total value of $343,114.91. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 19,778 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,408,786.94. This represents a 19.59% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Sempra Energy 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.