Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Upgraded at Truist Financial

Key Points

• Truist upgraded Sempra Energy to a "strong-buy" and several other analysts have shifted ratings recently; the stock's consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average price target of $102.67.
• Sempra reported quarterly EPS of $1.28, beating estimates of $1.12 while revenue of $3.75 billion slightly missed expectations, and analysts project about $5.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.
• The stock opened near $93.23 with a market cap of $60.9 billion and a P/E of 33.78 (52‑week range $70.95–$101.04), insider directors recently bought shares, and institutional investors own roughly 89.65% of the company.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Truist Financial to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts also recently commented on SRE. Argus upgraded Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $118.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Tuesday. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $100.00 price objective (up from $96.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley set a $104.00 price target on Sempra Energy and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Sempra Energy from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Sunday, March 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $102.67.

Sempra Energy Stock Down 0.2%

SRE opened at $93.23 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.59. The company has a market capitalization of $60.91 billion, a PE ratio of 33.78, a P/E/G ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.67. The stock's fifty day moving average is $95.10 and its 200-day moving average is $91.91. Sempra Energy has a one year low of $70.95 and a one year high of $101.04.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $3.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.82 billion. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.22% and a net margin of 13.27%.The company's quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Sempra Energy will post 5.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Cynthia J. Warner bought 2,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $92.95 per share, for a total transaction of $232,375.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 11,275 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,048,011.25. This trade represents a 28.49% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Richard J. Mark acquired 2,692 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average price of $93.30 per share, with a total value of $251,163.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 17,376 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,621,180.80. The trade was a 18.33% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Over the last three months, insiders have purchased 6,192 shares of company stock worth $576,979 and have sold 7,539 shares worth $706,906. 0.31% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sempra Energy

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SRE. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.3% in the fourth 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. Capital International Investors grew its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 9.2% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 54,071,206 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $4,865,115,000 after purchasing an additional 4,572,312 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,810,449 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $3,273,460,000 after purchasing an additional 1,824,280 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 17.0% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 22,330,091 shares of the utilities provider's stock worth $1,971,524,000 after purchasing an additional 3,250,783 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 0.8% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,298,845 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $1,256,592,000 after buying an additional 116,554 shares during the period. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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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