Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $100.7273.

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Sempra Energy from $98.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Sempra Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Sempra Energy from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $101.00 price target on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $99.00 price objective (up from $80.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Monday, November 24th.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of SRE stock opened at $93.43 on Tuesday. Sempra Energy has a 12 month low of $61.90 and a 12 month high of $97.44. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $91.53 and its 200-day simple moving average is $90.20. The firm has a market cap of $61.03 billion, a PE ratio of 33.85, a P/E/G ratio of 3.43 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.

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

Sempra Energy Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.6575 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 19th. This is a positive change from Sempra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. This represents a $2.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Sempra Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 95.29%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Jennifer M. Kirk acquired 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $93.44 per share, for a total transaction of $93,440.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $93,440. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Richard J. Mark bought 2,692 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $93.30 per share, for a total transaction of $251,163.60. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 17,376 shares in the company, valued at $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. In the last three months, insiders purchased 6,192 shares of company stock valued at $576,979. 0.27% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sempra Energy

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $219,000. Hsbc Holdings PLC lifted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 2,483,473 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $219,295,000 after buying an additional 234,894 shares during the last quarter. Carter Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $360,000. Cornerstone Planning LLC bought a new position in shares of Sempra Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $924,000. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 41.6% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 500,272 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $44,175,000 after acquiring an additional 146,929 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

About Sempra Energy

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.