Energy Income Partners LLC Boosts Stock Holdings in Sempra Energy $SRE

Key Points

• Energy Income Partners LLC has increased its holdings in Sempra Energy by 2.5%, making it the 8th largest position in their portfolio, now owning approximately 2.18 million shares worth $155.74 million.
• Several institutional investors, including Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC and Merit Financial Group LLC, have also boosted their stakes in Sempra Energy during the first quarter, contributing to a total institutional ownership of 89.65%.
• Sempra Energy's stock recently opened at $82.49, showing signs of growth, with analysts providing an average target price of $82.33 and ratings from various firms ranging from "overweight" to "neutral".

Energy Income Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 2.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,182,448 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 52,838 shares during the period. Sempra Energy comprises 3.0% of Energy Income Partners LLC's holdings, making the stock its 8th largest holding. Energy Income Partners LLC owned about 0.33% of Sempra Energy worth $155,739,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 8.4% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 173,408 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $12,374,000 after acquiring an additional 13,433 shares in the last quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors increased its holdings in Sempra Energy by 8.0% during the 1st quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors now owns 49,570 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,569,000 after acquiring an additional 3,677 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC grew its stake in Sempra Energy by 171.2% in the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 11,107 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $793,000 after buying an additional 7,012 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $483,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. raised its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 81.0% during the first quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. now owns 46,277 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,302,000 after acquiring an additional 20,707 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SRE traded down $0.66 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $82.24. The company had a trading volume of 3,238,215 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,299,674. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.48 and a quick ratio of 0.41. Sempra Energy has a fifty-two week low of $61.90 and a fifty-two week high of $95.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.65. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $79.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $75.66.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.07. The business had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.35 billion. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 20.28% and a return on equity of 8.42%. The company's quarterly revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.89 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Sempra Energy

In related news, EVP Caroline Ann Winn sold 5,114 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $82.01, for a total value of $419,399.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 39,380 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,229,553.80. This represents a 11.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 1,576 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $126,080.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 15,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,248,000. The trade was a 9.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $80.00 target price (up from $70.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Monday, August 4th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $71.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Thursday, August 21st. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $82.33.

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.