Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. Buys 3,170 Shares of Sempra Energy $SRE

Key Points

• Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. increased its holdings in Sempra Energy by 18.3%, owning 20,529 shares worth approximately $1.47 million.
• Sempra Energy reported $0.89 earnings per share for the last quarter, exceeding analysts' expectations, but revenue decreased 0.4% year-over-year.
• Research firms have varied opinions on Sempra Energy, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $81.58.

Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 18.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 20,529 shares of the utilities provider's stock after buying an additional 3,170 shares during the quarter. Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.'s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $1,465,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of SRE. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 21,695 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,903,000 after purchasing an additional 1,089 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 851,826 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $74,722,000 after purchasing an additional 48,926 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,923,127 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $168,692,000 after purchasing an additional 93,131 shares during the last quarter. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 997,194 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $87,474,000 after purchasing an additional 26,656 shares during the last quarter. Finally, BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S increased its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 170.6% during the 4th quarter. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S now owns 21,220 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,861,000 after purchasing an additional 13,379 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Caroline Ann Winn sold 5,114 shares of the company's 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 39,380 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,229,553.80. This represents a 11.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 1,576 shares of the company's 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 directly owned 15,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,248,000. This trade represents a 9.18% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SRE traded down $1.2030 on Thursday, reaching $81.1970. 3,398,640 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,543,492. The company has a fifty day moving average of $78.05 and a 200-day moving average of $75.73. Sempra Energy has a twelve month low of $61.90 and a twelve month high of $95.77. The company has a market capitalization of $52.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.61, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a current ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.07. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 20.28% and a return on equity of 8.42%. The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.89 EPS. The business's revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on SRE. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $72.00 to $71.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $80.00 price target (up previously from $70.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $88.00 price target (up previously from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, June 18th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $81.58.

About Sempra Energy

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.