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

Key Points

• Sempra Energy has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from 14 brokerages, with an average 1-year price target of $103.
• Recent analyst actions were mostly positive, including overweight/buy ratings from firms like Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan, Wells Fargo, and Truist, with price targets ranging from $103 to $118.
• The company recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.6575 per share, while its latest earnings matched EPS expectations but revenue came in below estimates.

Shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fourteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have assigned a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $103.00.

Several brokerages recently commented on SRE. Morgan Stanley set a $104.00 price target on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $98.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 18th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their target price on Sempra Energy from $105.00 to $103.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $118.00 target price on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Truist Financial set a $108.00 price target on Sempra Energy and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, April 20th.

Insider Activity at Sempra Energy

In other Sempra Energy news, Director Richard J. Mark bought 2,692 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $93.30 per share, for a total transaction of $251,163.60. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 17,376 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,621,180.80. This trade represents a 18.33% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Justin Christopher Bird sold 1,128 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.69, for a total transaction of $109,066.32. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,632 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,091,598.08. This trade represents a 4.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last quarter, insiders have bought 6,192 shares of company stock worth $576,979 and have sold 7,539 shares worth $706,906. Insiders own 0.31% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sempra Energy

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sempra Energy in the third quarter worth $25,000. Bell Investment Advisors Inc grew its stake in Sempra Energy by 79.5% in the first quarter. Bell Investment Advisors Inc now owns 262 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 116 shares in the last quarter. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new position in Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd increased its position in Sempra Energy by 57.7% in the 4th quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 347 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Key Financial Inc increased its position in Sempra Energy by 73.6% in the 4th quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 361 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company's stock.

Sempra Energy Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of SRE opened at $93.37 on Wednesday. The business's 50-day moving average price is $94.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $92.01. The company has a current ratio of 1.69, a quick ratio of 1.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.65, a P/E/G ratio of 3.50 and a beta of 0.60. Sempra Energy has a 1-year low of $73.06 and a 1-year high of $101.04.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The utilities provider reported $1.51 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $1.51. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 14.31% and a return on equity of 8.20%. The company had revenue of $3.66 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.10 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.44 earnings per share. The business'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. Analysts expect that Sempra Energy will post 5.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, March 19th were given a dividend of $0.6575 per share. This represents a $2.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 19th. This is a boost from Sempra Energy's previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Sempra Energy's dividend payout ratio is 89.15%.

Sempra Energy Company Profile

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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