Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Earns "Hold (C+)" Rating from Weiss Ratings

Key Points

• Sempra Energy has received a reiterated "Hold (C+)" rating from Weiss Ratings, reflecting a cautious outlook on the stock.
• Several research firms have recently raised their price targets for Sempra Energy, with Mizuho setting a new target of $93.00, indicating increased analyst confidence in the company.
• Recent insider trading has seen significant stock sales, including a director selling over 28,000 shares, which raises questions about insider sentiment towards the company's future performance.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "hold (c+)" rating reiterated by stock analysts at Weiss Ratings in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Weiss Ratings reports.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on SRE. Mizuho increased their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $71.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 25th. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $80.00 target price (up from $70.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $93.00 target price (up from $86.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $86.09.

Sempra Energy Trading Down 0.7%

Sempra Energy stock traded down $0.65 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $93.36. The stock had a trading volume of 4,820,701 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,724,839. The company has a quick ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93. Sempra Energy has a 52-week low of $61.90 and a 52-week high of $95.77. The firm has a market cap of $60.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.98 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a fifty day moving average of $83.94 and a 200 day moving average of $77.74.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.82 by $0.07. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 20.28% and a return on equity of 8.42%. The company had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.89 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kevin C. Sagara sold 28,864 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $84.21, for a total transaction of $2,430,637.44. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 15,475 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,303,149.75. The trade was a 65.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 1,576 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $80.00, for a total transaction of $126,080.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 15,600 shares in the company, valued at $1,248,000. This trade represents a 9.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 49,987 shares of company stock worth $4,267,870. 0.27% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sempra Energy

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wesbanco Bank Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 5.1% in the 1st quarter. Wesbanco Bank Inc. now owns 3,212 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $229,000 after buying an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 65.1% in the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 5,191 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $371,000 after buying an additional 2,046 shares in the last quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sempra Energy in the 1st quarter valued at $384,000. SG Americas Securities LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 462.0% in the 1st quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 10,548 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $753,000 after buying an additional 8,671 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 3.2% in the 1st quarter. Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc. now owns 5,722 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $408,000 after buying an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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