Sempra Energy $SRE Shares Sold by California Public Employees Retirement System

California Public Employees Retirement System cut its stake in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) by 25.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,353,554 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 457,848 shares during the quarter. California Public Employees Retirement System owned approximately 0.21% of Sempra Energy worth $121,793,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of SRE. West Wealth Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.1% in the third 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 in the last quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO increased its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. Advisor OS LLC raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Advisor OS LLC now owns 9,681 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $871,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Manchester Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 24.4% in the 2nd quarter. Manchester Capital Management LLC now owns 642 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sempra Energy Stock Up 2.2%

Shares of NYSE:SRE opened at $95.20 on Monday. Sempra Energy has a 52-week low of $61.90 and a 52-week high of $97.44. The stock has a market cap of $62.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.49, a PEG ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 0.73. The business has a fifty day moving average of $90.74 and a two-hundred day moving average of $89.68. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

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 the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $3.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Energy Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on SRE shares. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Sempra Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $101.00 price target on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Barclays set a $95.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $100.00.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jennifer M. Kirk purchased 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $93.44 per share, for a total transaction of $93,440.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $93,440. This represents a ∞ increase 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, Director Richard J. Mark purchased 2,692 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $93.30 per share, for a total transaction of $251,163.60. Following the transaction, the director owned 17,376 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,621,180.80. This trade represents a 18.33% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have purchased 6,192 shares of company stock valued at $576,979. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

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.