XTX Topco Ltd Makes New Investment in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE)

Key Points

• XTX Topco Ltd invested approximately $3.73 million in Sempra Energy, acquiring 52,230 shares in the first quarter of the year.
• Sempra Energy reported earnings of $1.44 per share, exceeding analysts' estimates and showing a 4.5% year-over-year revenue increase, although quarterly revenue was slightly below expectations.
• The company recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.645 per share, translating to an annualized yield of 3.21%, with a payout ratio of 56.70%.

XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 52,230 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $3,727,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 11.9% during the 4th quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 38,407,154 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,369,076,000 after buying an additional 4,082,261 shares during the last quarter. FMR LLC raised its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 20,489,918 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,797,376,000 after buying an additional 1,511,313 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,072,966 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,143,248,000 after buying an additional 311,094 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 8.1% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,181,693 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $629,978,000 after buying an additional 538,919 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 70.6% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 6,666,240 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $584,763,000 after buying an additional 2,758,037 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SRE has been the subject of several research reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Citigroup cut their price target on Sempra Energy from $93.00 to $70.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley reiterated 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. Barclays dropped their price objective on 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. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered 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. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $80.75.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 1,576 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The shares were 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 owned 15,600 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,248,000. This represents a 9.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The shares were 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 $1,260,117.94. This trade represents a 32.08% 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

SRE traded up $0.13 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $81.28. 3,690,758 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,949,657. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $76.50 and a 200-day simple moving average of $75.82. Sempra Energy has a 12 month low of $61.90 and a 12 month high of $95.77. The stock has a market cap of $52.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.18 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.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $3.80 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.90 billion. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.55% and a net margin of 22.15%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.34 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, July 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, June 26th were issued a $0.645 dividend. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.17%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 26th. Sempra Energy's payout ratio is currently 56.70%.

Sempra Energy Company Profile

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.