Cambiar Investors LLC Has $49.99 Million Position in Sempra Energy $SRE

Cambiar Investors LLC cut its holdings in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) by 8.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 555,540 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 49,885 shares during the period. Sempra Energy accounts for approximately 2.3% of Cambiar Investors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Cambiar Investors LLC owned 0.09% of Sempra Energy worth $49,987,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in Sempra Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $701,649,000. Marshall Wace LLP increased its position in Sempra Energy by 786.1% during the second quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 2,957,399 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $224,082,000 after acquiring an additional 2,623,637 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp increased its position in Sempra Energy by 809.5% during the second quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Trust & Banking Corp now owns 2,750,891 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $208,435,000 after acquiring an additional 2,448,415 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 3.3% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 66,328,942 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,025,777,000 after purchasing an additional 2,090,840 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Merewether Investment Management LP boosted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 321.9% in the 2nd quarter. Merewether Investment Management LP now owns 1,676,932 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $127,061,000 after purchasing an additional 1,279,431 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Energy Trading Up 0.6%

Shares of SRE opened at $87.25 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The stock has a market cap of $56.95 billion, a PE ratio of 26.76, a PEG ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 0.74. Sempra Energy has a 1 year low of $61.90 and a 1 year high of $95.72. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $89.41 and a 200-day simple moving average of $87.05.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.27. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.67% and a net margin of 15.63%.The business had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.89 EPS. Sempra Energy’s quarterly revenue was up 13.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 11th were given a dividend of $0.645 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, December 11th. This represents a $2.58 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Sempra Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 79.14%.

Insider Activity

In other Sempra Energy news, CFO Karen L. Sedgwick sold 7,564 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.29, for a total value of $698,081.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 41,280 shares in the company, valued at $3,809,731.20. The trade was a 15.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 4,322 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.55, for a total transaction of $400,001.10. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 11,325 shares in the company, valued at $1,048,128.75. This represents a 27.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 19,396 shares of company stock valued at $1,785,606. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group set a $89.00 price target on Sempra Energy and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. BTIG Research upgraded Sempra Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $99.00 price objective (up previously from $80.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $97.00 target price (down from $98.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.83.

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.