235,608 Shares in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Purchased by ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 235,608 shares of the utilities provider's stock, valued at approximately $16,813,000.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $286,000. Fisher Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $326,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 97.9% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 4,411 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $385,000 after acquiring an additional 2,182 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 90.8% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 6,905 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $606,000 after acquiring an additional 3,286 shares during the period. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Sempra Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $72,000. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on SRE shares. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Sempra Energy from $88.00 to $85.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, March 26th. Argus downgraded Sempra Energy from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 18th. Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $77.00 to $75.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $88.00 target price (up from $87.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, June 18th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, May 12th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $80.83.

Sempra Energy Stock Up 1.0%

SRE stock traded up $0.73 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $75.55. 1,972,703 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,869,530. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $75.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $76.95. Sempra Energy has a 1-year low of $61.90 and a 1-year high of $95.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.57. The company has a market cap of $49.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.63.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 8th. The utilities provider reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.32 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $3.80 billion during 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 business's revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.34 EPS. On average, equities 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 given a $0.645 dividend. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, June 26th. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 56.70%.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Diana L. Day sold 8,015 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.26, for a total transaction of $595,193.90. Following the completion of the sale, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 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.