Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Given Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Sempra Energy has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from twelve brokerages, with six recommending a hold and six calling for a buy.
• Analysts have set an average 12-month price target of $84.55 for Sempra Energy, with significant upward revisions from several firms, including BMO Capital Markets and Morgan Stanley.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.645 per share, translating to an annualized dividend yield of 2.9%.

Shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) have earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price objective among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $84.5455.

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Sempra Energy from $88.00 to $95.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, September 25th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $93.00 price target (up previously from $86.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Citigroup reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $80.00 price target (up from $70.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Monday, August 4th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $71.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, August 26th. Finally, Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 24th.

Sempra Energy Trading Up 1.3%

Shares of Sempra Energy stock opened at $89.74 on Tuesday. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $82.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $76.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.68, a PEG ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 0.65. Sempra Energy has a 12-month low of $61.90 and a 12-month high of $95.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.41 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 7th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $3 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.89 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down .4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 1st will be paid a $0.645 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 1st. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio is presently 62.32%.

Insider Activity at Sempra Energy

In related news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 1,576 shares of Sempra Energy 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 completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 15,600 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,248,000. This trade represents a 9.18% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Caroline Ann Winn sold 5,114 shares of the business'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 value of $419,399.14. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 39,380 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,229,553.80. The trade was a 11.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 49,987 shares of company stock worth $4,267,870. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Sempra Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Sempra Energy by 51.2% in the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 375 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 245.1% during the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 421 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 299 shares during the period. Pingora Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 48.3% in the 1st quarter. Pingora Partners LLC now owns 430 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 140 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. raised its holdings in Sempra Energy by 230.8% in the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 430 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC boosted its position in Sempra Energy by 74.1% during the second quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 444 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% 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.

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