Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Shares Acquired by Alpha Cubed Investments LLC

Alpha Cubed Investments LLC increased its stake in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 59.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 11,126 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 4,160 shares during the period. Alpha Cubed Investments LLC's holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $794,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. L & S Advisors Inc boosted its stake in Sempra Energy by 52.6% during the 4th quarter. L & S Advisors Inc now owns 41,601 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,649,000 after purchasing an additional 14,338 shares during the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in Sempra Energy by 171.2% during the 1st 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. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Sempra Energy by 8.4% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 173,408 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $12,374,000 after purchasing an additional 13,433 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Advisor Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Sempra Energy during the 1st quarter valued at $1,099,000. Finally, Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. boosted its stake in Sempra Energy by 1,283.7% during the 1st quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. now owns 265,485 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $18,945,000 after purchasing an additional 246,299 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Trading Up 0.4%

Shares of SRE stock traded up $0.33 on Wednesday, reaching $74.65. 5,035,919 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,879,960. The stock has a market cap of $48.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.63. 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 50 day moving average of $75.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $76.65. Sempra Energy has a 1-year low of $61.90 and a 1-year high of $95.77.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.34 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 26th will be paid a dividend of $0.645 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 26th. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.46%. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 56.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra Energy

In other news, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total transaction of $595,193.90. Following the transaction, the insider owned 16,969 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,260,117.94. This trade represents a 32.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on SRE. Argus cut Sempra Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Sempra Energy from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $88.00 price target (up from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on Sempra Energy from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price target on Sempra Energy from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $80.83.

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.