Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Shares Sold by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Victory Capital Management Inc. cut its holdings in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 22.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 328,510 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 94,704 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned 0.05% of Sempra Energy worth $23,442,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of SRE. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its position in Sempra Energy by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 31,919 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $2,824,000 after buying an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its position in Sempra Energy by 781.4% in the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 37,346 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,276,000 after buying an additional 33,109 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 2.6% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 222,793 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $19,543,000 after purchasing an additional 5,612 shares during the last quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. bought a new position in shares of Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $426,000. Finally, LPL Financial LLC lifted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 556,110 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $48,782,000 after purchasing an additional 19,150 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Energy Trading Up 0.4%

SRE opened at $78.60 on Tuesday. The firm's fifty day moving average is $75.93 and its two-hundred day moving average is $75.89. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.57. The firm has a market cap of $51.24 billion, a PE ratio of 16.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.63. Sempra Energy has a twelve month low of $61.90 and a twelve month high of $95.77.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 company 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 firm earned $1.34 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 26th were paid a $0.645 dividend. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 26th. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.70%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 in the company, valued at $1,260,117.94. This represents a 32.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $88.00 price objective (up previously from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target 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. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Finally, Barclays lowered 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 report on Thursday, July 10th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $80.75.

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.

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