Sempra Energy $SRE Holdings Boosted by Geode Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• Geode Capital Management increased its Sempra Energy stake by 0.8% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 14.3 million shares valued at about $1.26 billion.
• Sempra reported Q1 earnings that matched expectations with EPS of $1.51, though revenue came in below estimates at $3.66 billion and declined 3.9% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.6575 per share, or $2.63 annually, implying a 2.9% yield; analysts currently rate the stock a moderate buy with an average target price of $102.67.

Geode Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,298,845 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 116,554 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC owned about 2.19% of Sempra Energy worth $1,256,592,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,734,070 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $6,774,907,000 after acquiring an additional 1,008,476 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors lifted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 9.2% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 54,071,206 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,865,115,000 after acquiring an additional 4,572,312 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 1.8% in the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 34,986,169 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,148,055,000 after acquiring an additional 606,101 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 106.3% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,428,007 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $938,325,000 after acquiring an additional 5,374,277 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. lifted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 40.1% in the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 10,419,115 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $937,512,000 after acquiring an additional 2,984,409 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Price Performance

NYSE SRE opened at $90.03 on Friday. Sempra Energy has a 12 month low of $73.06 and a 12 month high of $101.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.69 and a quick ratio of 1.66. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.85 billion, a PE ratio of 30.52, a P/E/G ratio of 3.45 and a beta of 0.60. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $94.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $91.92.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 8.20%. The business had revenue of $3.66 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.44 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. Sempra Energy has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.100-5.700 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.870-5.370 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 5.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.6575 per share. This represents a $2.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 25th. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 89.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on SRE shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $98.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. BMO Capital Markets cut their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $105.00 to $103.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 11th. Wall Street Zen cut Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Sunday, May 10th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $100.00 price target (up from $96.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $105.00 price target (up from $95.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $102.67.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra Energy

In related news, CFO Karen L. Sedgwick sold 4,872 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.58, for a total transaction of $451,049.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 39,029 shares in the company, valued at $3,613,304.82. This trade represents a 11.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Diana L. Day sold 3,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.13, for a total transaction of $304,029.00. Following the transaction, the insider owned 22,870 shares in the company, valued at $2,107,013.10. This represents a 12.61% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 6,192 shares of company stock valued at $576,979 and have sold 13,439 shares valued at $1,243,713. Insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

About Sempra Energy

Sempra Energy is a San Diego–based energy infrastructure company that develops, owns and operates businesses delivering electricity and natural gas. Its operations include regulated utility services that provide electric and gas distribution to residential, commercial and industrial customers, as well as non‑regulated infrastructure businesses that develop and manage large-scale energy assets.

The company's product and service portfolio spans electricity and natural gas delivery, transmission and storage, liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities, power generation and electric transmission projects.

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