Sempra Energy $SRE Stock Holdings Lowered by Generali Investments Management Co LLC

Key Points

• Generali Investments Management cut its stake in Sempra Energy by 50.7% in Q4, selling 12,200 shares and leaving it with 11,871 shares valued at about $1.048 million.
• Sempra reported Q4 EPS of $1.28 versus consensus $1.12 (a beat) while revenue was $3.75 billion, slightly below estimates and down 0.2% year‑over‑year; analysts' average target is $102.67 with a "Moderate Buy" consensus.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.6575 (annualized $2.63) for a ~2.8% yield despite a high payout ratio of 95.29%, and insiders have been net buyers recently while institutional ownership stands around 89.65%.

Generali Investments Management Co LLC cut its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 50.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 11,871 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 12,200 shares during the period. Generali Investments Management Co LLC's holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $1,048,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 19.4% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 85,334 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $7,678,000 after purchasing an additional 13,864 shares during the period. Peak Financial Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Sempra Energy by 190.1% during the 4th quarter. Peak Financial Advisors LLC now owns 26,552 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $2,344,000 after buying an additional 17,400 shares during the period. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ raised its holdings in Sempra Energy by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. Lansforsakringar Fondforvaltning AB publ now owns 203,402 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $18,302,000 after buying an additional 11,020 shares during the period. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. lifted its stake in Sempra Energy by 5.2% during the third quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 2,143,205 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $192,846,000 after buying an additional 106,380 shares in the last quarter. Finally, ANTIPODES PARTNERS Ltd purchased a new stake in Sempra Energy during the third quarter valued at about $150,993,000. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sempra Energy Trading Down 0.7%

NYSE:SRE opened at $93.23 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $60.91 billion, a PE ratio of 33.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.55 and a beta of 0.67. Sempra Energy has a fifty-two week low of $72.99 and a fifty-two week high of $101.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The stock's 50-day moving average is $95.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $91.94.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $3.75 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.82 billion. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 13.27% and a return on equity of 8.22%. The firm's revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.50 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 5.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 19th were given a $0.6575 dividend. This represents a $2.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 19th. This is a positive change from Sempra Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Sempra Energy's payout ratio is currently 95.29%.

Insider Activity at Sempra Energy

In related news, Director Richard J. Mark purchased 2,692 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired 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 owned 17,376 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,621,180.80. The trade was a 18.33% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jennifer M. Kirk acquired 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $93.44 per share, with a total value of $93,440.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at $93,440. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 6,192 shares of company stock worth $576,979 and have sold 7,539 shares worth $706,906. Corporate insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SRE has been the topic of several analyst reports. Argus raised shares of Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $100.00 price target (up from $96.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Truist Financial set a $108.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $98.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Barclays reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $105.00 target price (up from $95.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, April 15th. Two 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $102.67.

Sempra Energy Company 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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