NBC Securities Inc. Has $2.48 Million Stake in Sempra Energy $SRE

Key Points

• NBC Securities Inc. reduced its stake in Sempra Energy by 54.0%, now holding 32,775 shares worth approximately $2,483,000 after selling 38,513 shares in the second quarter.
• Insiders have sold a total of 35,554 shares of Sempra Energy stock valued at around $2,976,117 in the past three months, with 0.27% of the stock currently owned by insiders.
• Analysts have a mixed outlook, with six giving Sempra Energy a Buy rating and six assigning a Hold rating, while the average price target is set at $81.27.

NBC Securities Inc. lowered its holdings in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 54.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,775 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 38,513 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc.'s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $2,483,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 1.7% in the 1st quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 8,169 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $583,000 after purchasing an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. Pingora Partners LLC raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 48.3% in the 1st quarter. Pingora Partners LLC now owns 430 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 5.0% in the first quarter. Baader Bank Aktiengesellschaft now owns 2,988 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $211,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Sempra Energy by 1.3% during the first quarter. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC now owns 11,334 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $809,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares during the period. Finally, Wesbanco Bank Inc. lifted its position in Sempra Energy by 5.1% during the first quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 3,212 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SRE has been the subject of several analyst reports. Citigroup restated 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. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on Sempra Energy from $71.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sempra Energy currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $81.27.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Caroline Ann Winn sold 5,114 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.01, for a total transaction of $419,399.14. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 39,380 shares in the company, valued at $3,229,553.80. This trade represents a 11.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 1,576 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $126,080.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 15,600 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,248,000. This represents a 9.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 35,554 shares of company stock worth $2,976,117 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Price Performance

Shares of Sempra Energy stock traded down $0.15 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $82.51. 5,866,333 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,481,643. The stock has a market cap of $53.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.93, a PEG ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.48. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $80.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.84. Sempra Energy has a 12 month low of $61.90 and a 12 month high of $95.77.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.82 by $0.07. The company 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 firm's revenue was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.89 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be given a dividend of $0.645 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 62.32%.

Sempra Energy 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.