Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Receives Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Brokerages

Key Points

• Sempra Energy has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating from 15 analysts, including 10 buys, four holds, and one strong buy. The average 12-month price target is $104.23, versus a recent share price of $93.00.
• Recent quarterly results met earnings expectations at $1.51 per share, but revenue fell 3.9% year over year to $3.65 billion, below analysts’ $4.10 billion estimate. Analysts project full-year EPS of approximately $5.12.
• Sempra declared a quarterly dividend of $0.6575 per share, equivalent to an annualized $2.63 dividend and a 2.8% yield. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company, while insiders have sold 13,900 shares worth about $1.26 million over the past 90 days.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) has earned an average recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, ten have given a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $104.2308.

Several research firms have recently commented on SRE. Barclays reduced their target price on Sempra Energy from $105.00 to $103.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 9th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $108.00 price target on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday. Truist Financial set a $104.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Finally, TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, July 8th. They set a "buy" rating for the company.

Insider Transactions at Sempra Energy

In other Sempra Energy news, EVP Caroline Ann Winn sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $90.55, for a total transaction of $724,400.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 25,164 shares in the company, valued at $2,278,600.20. This represents a 24.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, insider Diana L. Day sold 3,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.13, for a total value of $304,029.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 22,870 shares in the company, valued at $2,107,013.10. The trade was a 12.61% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 13,900 shares of company stock valued at $1,261,207. Insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sempra Energy

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in Sempra Energy by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,590,698 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $142,702,000 after acquiring an additional 74,749 shares during the period. Dockside LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,938,000. Fideuram Intesa Sanpaolo Private Banking S.P.A. acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,289,000. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,734,070 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $6,774,907,000 after purchasing an additional 1,008,476 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Carnegie Investment Counsel lifted its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 15.5% in the 1st quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 167,391 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $16,265,000 after purchasing an additional 22,408 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Sempra Energy Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of SRE opened at $93.00 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $60.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.56. Sempra Energy has a one year low of $78.97 and a one year high of $101.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a current ratio of 1.69. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $91.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $92.44.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.20% and a net margin of 14.31%.The firm had revenue of $3.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.10 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.44 EPS. Sempra Energy's quarterly revenue was down 3.9% on a year-over-year basis. 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. Sell-side analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 5.12 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, June 25th were given a dividend of $0.6575 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, June 25th. This represents a $2.63 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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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