Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Stock Holdings Trimmed by Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.

Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. decreased its stake in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 52.6% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,505 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 16,080 shares during the period. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD.'s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $1,035,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Prudent Man Investment Management Inc. purchased a new position in Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. TCTC Holdings LLC boosted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 265.2% in the fourth quarter. TCTC Holdings LLC now owns 336 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 244 shares during the last quarter. Mattson Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Park Square Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE SRE traded down $0.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $74.59. The company had a trading volume of 2,819,308 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,884,529. The stock has a market cap of $48.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.39, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.63. Sempra Energy has a 12 month low of $61.90 and a 12 month high of $95.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $75.91 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $76.38.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.32 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $3.80 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.90 billion. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.55% and a net margin of 22.15%. The business's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.34 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 26th will be issued a $0.645 dividend. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 26th. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 56.70%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Sempra Energy from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Sempra Energy from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 26th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, May 12th. Citigroup reduced their target price on Sempra Energy from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Finally, Argus downgraded Sempra Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 18th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $80.75.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total value of $595,193.90. Following the sale, the insider owned 16,969 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,260,117.94. This trade represents a 32.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

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.