Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Has $3.23 Million Stake in Sempra Energy $SRE

Key Points

• Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. has increased its holdings in Sempra Energy by 90%, acquiring an additional 21,456 shares to reach a total of 45,286 shares valued at $3.23 million.
• Sempra Energy reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $0.89, exceeding analyst expectations of $0.82, although its revenue fell by 0.4% compared to the previous year.
• The stock of Sempra Energy is currently priced at $81.27, with analysts giving it a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a price target averaging $81.58.

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 90.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 45,286 shares of the utilities provider's stock after acquiring an additional 21,456 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.'s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $3,232,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in SRE. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 8.4% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 173,408 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $12,374,000 after purchasing an additional 13,433 shares in the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 171.2% during the first quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 11,107 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $793,000 after purchasing an additional 7,012 shares during the period. Carrera Capital Advisors raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 8.0% during the first quarter. Carrera Capital Advisors now owns 49,570 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,569,000 after purchasing an additional 3,677 shares during the period. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Sempra Energy during the first quarter worth about $483,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 81.0% during the first quarter. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. now owns 46,277 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $3,302,000 after acquiring an additional 20,707 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on SRE shares. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report 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. Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and set a $88.00 price objective (up previously from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $72.00 to $71.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Sempra Energy presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $81.58.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Caroline Ann Winn sold 5,114 shares of the firm'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 trade represents a 11.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 1,576 shares of the firm'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 $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 currently owned by company insiders.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

SRE traded down $0.1540 during trading on Thursday, hitting $82.2460. The stock had a trading volume of 493,227 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,513,511. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a current ratio of 0.48. Sempra Energy has a twelve month low of $61.90 and a twelve month high of $95.77. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.90, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.62. The company's 50-day moving average price is $77.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $75.74.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.07. The firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 prior year, the company earned $0.89 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.