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

Key Points

• Sempra Energy has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from 14 brokerages, with nine buy ratings, four holds, and one strong buy. The average 12-month price target is about $102.67.
• The company recently reported Q1 earnings of $1.51 per share, matching Wall Street estimates, but revenue of $3.66 billion fell short of expectations and was down 3.9% year over year.
• Sempra declared a quarterly dividend of $0.6575 per share, payable July 15, implying an annualized yield of 2.9%. The stock opened at $91.51 and has traded between $73.06 and $101.04 over the past 52 weeks.

Shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) have received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fourteen brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, nine have assigned a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $102.6667.

SRE has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Sempra Energy from $98.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Truist Financial set a $104.00 price objective on Sempra Energy and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, May 18th. Argus raised Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Sunday, May 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $104.00 price objective on Sempra Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, insider Diana L. Day sold 3,300 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.13, for a total value of $304,029.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 22,870 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,107,013.10. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Jennifer M. Kirk acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $93.44 per share, with a total value of $93,440.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,000 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $93,440. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have bought 6,192 shares of company stock valued at $576,979 and have sold 13,439 shares valued at $1,243,713. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sempra Energy

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bell Investment Advisors Inc grew its position in Sempra Energy by 79.5% during the first quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 262 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new stake in Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its position in Sempra Energy by 57.7% during the fourth quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 347 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the period. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Sempra Energy by 83.0% during the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 355 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares during the period. Finally, Key Financial Inc grew its position in Sempra Energy by 73.6% during the fourth quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 361 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 153 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

NYSE SRE opened at $91.51 on Friday. Sempra Energy has a fifty-two week low of $73.06 and a fifty-two week high of $101.04. The stock has a market cap of $59.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.46 and a beta of 0.56. The business has a fifty day moving average of $93.68 and a 200-day moving average of $91.80. The company has a quick ratio of 1.66, a current ratio of 1.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.20% and a net margin of 14.31%.The company had revenue of $3.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.44 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 3.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sempra Energy has set its FY 2027 guidance at 5.100-5.700 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 4.870-5.370 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Sempra Energy will post 5.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 25th will be given a $0.6575 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, June 25th. This represents a $2.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Sempra Energy's payout ratio is currently 89.15%.

About Sempra Energy

Sempra Energy is a San Diego–based energy infrastructure company that develops, owns and operates businesses delivering electricity and natural gas. Its operations include regulated utility services that provide electric and gas distribution to residential, commercial and industrial customers, as well as non‑regulated infrastructure businesses that develop and manage large-scale energy assets.

The company's product and service portfolio spans electricity and natural gas delivery, transmission and storage, liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities, power generation and electric transmission projects.

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