B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Trims Stock Holdings in Sempra Energy $SRE

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG cut its stake in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) by 19.6% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 81,945 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 19,989 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG’s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $7,373,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. West Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. West Wealth Group LLC now owns 10,207 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $942,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 1.7% during the third quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 6,911 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $622,000 after purchasing an additional 113 shares during the period. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 1.4% during the third quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,587 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $773,000 after purchasing an additional 115 shares during the period. Advisor OS LLC lifted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.2% during the third quarter. Advisor OS LLC now owns 9,681 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $871,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 24.4% during the second quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 642 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of SRE opened at $92.71 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $60.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.59, a PEG ratio of 3.47 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The business’s 50 day moving average is $90.28 and its two-hundred day moving average is $89.27. Sempra Energy has a 52-week low of $61.90 and a 52-week high of $97.44.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $3.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.82 billion. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.22% and a net margin of 13.27%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.50 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.6575 per share. This represents a $2.63 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. This is a boost from Sempra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 19th. Sempra Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 93.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $99.00 target price (up from $80.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Barclays set a $95.00 price target on Sempra Energy and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Argus raised Sempra Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 target price (up from $96.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $100.00.

Sempra Energy 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.