Sempra Energy $SRE Shares Purchased by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Key Points

• Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management increased its Sempra Energy stake by 4.9% in Q4, buying 74,749 shares to hold 1,590,698 shares worth about $142.7 million (roughly 0.24% of the company).
• Sempra beat quarterly EPS estimates ($1.28 vs. $1.12) though revenue slightly missed, and analysts remain mostly positive with a consensus "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $102.67.
• Sempra raised its quarterly dividend to $0.6575 (annualized $2.63) for a ~2.8% yield, while the dividend payout ratio sits high at about 95%.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 4.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,590,698 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 74,749 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.24% of Sempra Energy worth $142,702,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. West Wealth Group LLC raised its holdings in Sempra Energy by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. West Wealth Group LLC now owns 10,207 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $942,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO raised its holdings in Sempra Energy by 1.7% in the 3rd quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 6,911 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $622,000 after acquiring an additional 113 shares during the last quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Sempra Energy by 1.4% in the 3rd quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,587 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $773,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares during the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its holdings in Sempra Energy by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 5,191 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $458,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Advisor OS LLC raised its holdings in Sempra Energy by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Advisor OS LLC now owns 9,681 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $871,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Energy Stock Down 0.7%

Shares of NYSE SRE opened at $93.69 on Thursday. Sempra Energy has a 52-week low of $73.06 and a 52-week high of $101.04. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $95.15 and a 200-day moving average of $92.01. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.21 billion, a PE ratio of 33.95, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.16. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 13.27% and a return on equity of 8.22%. The company had revenue of $3.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.50 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 5.15 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Energy Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Sempra Energy

In other news, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 1,128 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $96.69, for a total transaction of $109,066.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,091,598.08. The trade was a 4.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Richard J. Mark acquired 2,692 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $93.30 per share, with a total value of $251,163.60. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 17,376 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,621,180.80. This trade represents a 18.33% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders bought 6,192 shares of company stock worth $576,979 and sold 7,539 shares worth $706,906. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SRE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $105.00 price target (up from $95.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $118.00 price target on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Tuesday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Sempra Energy from $98.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Argus upgraded Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Sempra Energy from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $102.67.

Sempra Energy Profile

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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