Sempra Energy $SRE Shares Purchased by Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY

Key Points

• Miller Howard Investments increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 34.0%, buying an additional 40,473 shares to hold 159,597 shares worth about $14.09 million at quarter-end.
• Company insiders have been buying recently — Director Cynthia J. Warner purchased 2,500 shares at $92.95 and Director Jennifer M. Kirk bought 1,000 shares at $93.44 — though insiders still own only 0.31% of the stock.
• Sempra raised its quarterly dividend to $0.6575 ($2.63 annual, ~2.8% yield) and reported an EPS beat ($1.28 vs. $1.12), while analysts hold a “Moderate Buy” consensus with a $101.64 average target.

Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 34.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 159,597 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 40,473 shares during the quarter. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY's holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $14,091,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of SRE. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sempra Energy in the third quarter worth $25,000. Activest Wealth Management raised its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 74.6% in the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 391 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new position in shares of Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter worth $35,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 117.4% in the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 424 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPL Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sempra Energy in the third quarter worth $41,000. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Cynthia J. Warner purchased 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $92.95 per share, with a total value of $232,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,048,011.25. The trade was a 28.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Jennifer M. Kirk purchased 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $93.44 per share, with a total value of $93,440.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $93,440. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders have bought 6,192 shares of company stock valued at $576,979 and have sold 7,539 shares valued at $706,906. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

Sempra Energy stock opened at $94.00 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $61.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.06, a PEG ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.67. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $94.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $91.87. Sempra Energy has a 52 week low of $69.08 and a 52 week high of $101.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $3.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.82 billion. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.22% and a net margin of 13.27%.The business's quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 19th were given a dividend of $0.6575 per share. This represents a $2.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. This is a boost from Sempra Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, March 19th. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

SRE has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $100.00 price target (up from $96.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Friday, March 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Sempra Energy from $98.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Argus raised Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $105.00 price target (up from $95.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $101.64.

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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