Sempra Energy $SRE Shares Purchased by MUFG Securities EMEA plc

Key Points

• MUFG Securities EMEA plc boosted its Sempra Energy stake by 314.6% in the fourth quarter, ending with 51,779 shares worth about $4.57 million.
• Other institutions also made notable moves, including a large new stake by Norges Bank, and institutional investors now own about 89.65% of Sempra Energy.
• Sempra reported Q1 EPS of $1.51 in line with estimates, announced a $0.6575 quarterly dividend, and analysts currently maintain a Moderate Buy consensus with a price target of $102.67.

MUFG Securities EMEA plc increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 314.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 51,779 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 39,290 shares during the period. MUFG Securities EMEA plc's holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $4,572,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd increased its position in Sempra Energy by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Gulf International Bank UK Ltd now owns 35,009 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,091,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC increased its position in Sempra Energy by 23.2% during the fourth quarter. Impact Partnership Wealth LLC now owns 2,912 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $257,000 after purchasing an additional 549 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $914,924,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $11,317,000. Finally, Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $784,000. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Sempra Energy

In related news, insider Diana L. Day sold 3,300 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.13, for a total value of $304,029.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 22,870 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,107,013.10. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Pablo Ferrero sold 2,600 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.53, for a total transaction of $232,778.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 15,423 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,380,821.19. This trade represents a 14.43% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In 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. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

NYSE:SRE opened at $88.90 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a current ratio of 1.69. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.11 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.13, a PEG ratio of 3.37 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $94.13 and a 200 day moving average price of $91.89. Sempra Energy has a fifty-two week low of $73.06 and a fifty-two week high of $101.04.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51. The firm had revenue of $3.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.10 billion. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 8.20%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.44 earnings per share. 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. Equities research analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 5.11 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 25th will be issued a $0.6575 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 25th. This represents a $2.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Sempra Energy's payout ratio is 89.15%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $98.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, May 10th. Barclays reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $105.00 price objective (up from $95.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Wednesday, April 15th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $100.00 price objective (up from $96.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $118.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $102.67.

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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