Alpha Cubed Investments LLC Grows Holdings in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE)

Alpha Cubed Investments LLC grew its holdings in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 59.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,126 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 4,160 shares during the quarter. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC's holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $794,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC boosted its position in Sempra Energy by 265.2% during the fourth quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $41,000. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Sempra Energy

In related news, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of Sempra Energy 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 sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.27% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SRE has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price 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 raised their target price 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. Argus lowered shares of Sempra Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $88.00 price target (up previously from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Six 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.com, Sempra Energy currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $80.83.

Sempra Energy Trading Down 0.2%

Shares of SRE stock traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $74.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,352,191 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,862,327. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $75.94 and its 200-day simple moving average is $76.67. Sempra Energy has a 12-month low of $61.90 and a 12-month 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 firm has a market capitalization of $48.42 billion, a PE ratio of 16.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.63.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last issued its 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 net margin of 22.15% and a return on equity of 8.55%. The business had revenue of $3.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.34 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.645 per share. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 26th. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.