Sempra Energy $SRE Shares Sold by Franklin Resources Inc.

Key Points

• Franklin Resources cut its Sempra Energy stake by 4.6% in the fourth quarter, selling 430,858 shares and leaving it with 9.03 million shares worth about $797.5 million.
• Sempra reported Q1 earnings of $1.51 per share, matching estimates, but revenue came in below expectations at $3.66 billion and fell 3.9% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.6575 per share, implying an annual yield of 2.9%, while Wall Street analysts currently rate the stock a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $102.67.

Franklin Resources Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 4.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,033,089 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 430,858 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 1.38% of Sempra Energy worth $797,531,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of SRE. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,734,070 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $6,774,907,000 after buying an additional 1,008,476 shares during the period. Capital International Investors boosted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 9.2% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 54,071,206 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,865,115,000 after buying an additional 4,572,312 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 34,986,169 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,148,055,000 after purchasing an additional 606,101 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,298,845 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,256,592,000 after purchasing an additional 116,554 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 16.6% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 12,163,523 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,073,918,000 after purchasing an additional 1,735,516 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Sempra Energy

In other Sempra Energy news, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 1,128 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.69, for a total value of $109,066.32. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,091,598.08. The trade was a 4.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Dyan Z. Wold sold 1,539 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $95.38, for a total value of $146,789.82. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,633 shares in the company, valued at $441,895.54. This trade represents a 24.94% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders purchased 6,192 shares of company stock valued at $576,979 and sold 8,567 shares valued at $792,663. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Sempra Energy Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of Sempra Energy stock opened at $91.51 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $59.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.02, a P/E/G ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 1.69 and a quick ratio of 1.66. Sempra Energy has a 52-week low of $73.06 and a 52-week high of $101.04. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $93.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $91.79.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.51. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.20% and a net margin of 14.31%.The firm had revenue of $3.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.44 EPS. The company'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. On average, equities research analysts expect that Sempra Energy will post 5.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SRE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $105.00 price objective (up from $95.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, April 15th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $100.00 target price (up from $96.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Argus upgraded Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley set a $104.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company restated an "overweight" rating and set a $118.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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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