Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Shares Bought by Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV

Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV grew its stake in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE – Get Rating) by 10.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,306 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,099 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV’s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $3,447,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of SRE. Moreno Evelyn V purchased a new position in shares of Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter valued at $257,000. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Raymond James Financial Services Advisors Inc. now owns 38,785 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,994,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Gryphon Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $164,000. Amica Retiree Medical Trust increased its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 22.3% during the 4th quarter. Amica Retiree Medical Trust now owns 4,069 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $629,000 after purchasing an additional 742 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Obermeyer Wood Investment Counsel Lllp raised its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Obermeyer Wood Investment Counsel Lllp now owns 4,604 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $712,000 after purchasing an additional 352 shares during the last quarter. 84.75% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 10,413 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.99, for a total transaction of $1,572,258.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 19,261 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,908,218.39. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Sempra Energy news, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 10,413 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $150.99, for a total value of $1,572,258.87. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 19,261 shares in the company, valued at $2,908,218.39. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 19,260 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $146.09, for a total transaction of $2,813,693.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $146.09. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 31,979 shares of company stock valued at $4,728,393. Insiders own 0.24% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. StockNews.com assumed coverage on Sempra Energy in a research report on Thursday, March 16th. They set a “hold” rating for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $150.00 to $164.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $180.00 to $174.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 1st. BMO Capital Markets cut their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $169.00 to $166.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, March 1st. Finally, Bank of America lowered their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $173.00 to $165.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 28th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $167.25.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SRE opened at $153.29 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $151.42 and a two-hundred day moving average of $155.39. Sempra Energy has a 12 month low of $136.54 and a 12 month high of $176.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.23 billion, a PE ratio of 19.75, a P/E/G ratio of 3.80 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.86, a current ratio of 0.54 and a quick ratio of 0.51.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE – Get Rating) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 4th. The utilities provider reported $2.92 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.76 by $0.16. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 10.28% and a net margin of 14.47%. The firm had revenue of $6.56 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.04 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $2.91 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 71.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 8.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, July 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, July 5th will be given a dividend of $1.19 per share. This represents a $4.76 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.11%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, July 3rd. Sempra Energy’s payout ratio is 61.34%.

Sempra Energy Profile

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Sempra Energy is an energy-service holding company, which engages in the development and operation of energy infrastructure, and provision of electric and gas services. It operates through the following segments: San Diego Gas and Electric Company (SDG&E), Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), Sempra Texas Utilities, Sempra Mexico, and Sempra LNG.