Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Shares Bought by TCW Group Inc.

Key Points

• TCW Group Inc. increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 16.3%, acquiring an additional 22,780 shares to hold a total of 162,386 shares worth approximately $11.59 million.
• Insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of Sempra Energy, marking a 32.08% decrease in her position, while SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque also sold 1,576 shares, representing a 9.18% decrease in his ownership.
• Sempra Energy reported a quarterly EPS of $1.44 for the latest quarter, surpassing estimates and showing a 4.5% revenue increase compared to the previous year.

TCW Group Inc. raised its holdings in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 16.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 162,386 shares of the utilities provider's stock after purchasing an additional 22,780 shares during the period. TCW Group Inc.'s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $11,588,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC grew its holdings in Sempra Energy by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC now owns 8,194 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $719,000 after buying an additional 124 shares during the last quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV lifted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. MJP Associates Inc. ADV now owns 6,195 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $543,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares in the last quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 2,639 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $232,000 after acquiring an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. increased its position in Sempra Energy by 1.7% during 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. Finally, Applied Finance Capital Management LLC increased its position in Sempra Energy by 1.3% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on SRE shares. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $88.00 target price (up from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price objective 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. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. Barclays cut their price target on Sempra Energy from $72.00 to $71.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 10th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on Sempra Energy from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 9th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $80.75.

Sempra Energy Trading Down 0.6%

SRE stock traded down $0.47 during trading on Monday, reaching $80.35. 2,973,050 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,965,128. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.38 billion, a PE ratio of 17.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 0.63. 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 business's 50 day moving average price is $76.36 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.74. Sempra Energy has a 52-week low of $61.90 and a 52-week high of $95.77.

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

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, June 26th were paid a dividend of $0.645 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, June 26th. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.21%. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio is currently 56.70%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra Energy

In other Sempra Energy news, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total value of $595,193.90. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 16,969 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,260,117.94. This trade represents a 32.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 1,576 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total value of $126,080.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 15,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,248,000. The trade was a 9.18% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.