Analysts Set Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) PT at $82.33

Key Points

• Sempra Energy has received a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from thirteen research firms, with six analysts holding the stock and seven assigning it a buy rating.
• The average 12-month target price for Sempra Energy is $82.33, with recent target price upgrades from Barclays, Citigroup, and BMO Capital Markets.
• On August 7th, Sempra reported an earnings per share of $0.89, exceeding analyst expectations, although revenue was slightly below estimates at $3 billion.

Shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) have received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the thirteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $82.3333.

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $80.00 price target (up previously from $70.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Monday, August 4th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Thursday, August 21st. Finally, Barclays raised their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $71.00 to $80.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 26th.

Insider Transactions at Sempra Energy

In other news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 1,576 shares of the firm'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 sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Caroline Ann Winn sold 5,114 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $82.01, for a total transaction of $419,399.14. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 39,380 shares in the company, valued at $3,229,553.80. This represents a 11.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Sempra Energy

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its position 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 during the last quarter. Mattson Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Sempra Energy during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Pingora Partners LLC lifted its stake in Sempra Energy by 48.3% during the 1st quarter. Pingora Partners LLC now owns 430 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 140 shares during the period. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in 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. Finally, ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its stake in Sempra Energy by 230.8% during the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 430 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Energy Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of SRE stock traded up $0.81 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $80.22. 2,504,448 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,452,849. 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. The company's 50-day moving average price is $79.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $75.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $52.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.65.

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

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.