Sempra Energy $SRE Stake Reduced by 44 Wealth Management LLC

44 Wealth Management LLC trimmed its holdings in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) by 80.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 2,851 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 11,598 shares during the quarter. 44 Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $257,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. Activest Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 74.6% during the third quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 391 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. lifted its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 117.4% during the third quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 424 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $38,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Motco boosted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 1,945.8% in the 3rd quarter. Motco now owns 491 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 467 shares during the period. Finally, Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 33.9% in the 3rd quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 502 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of SRE opened at $95.20 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $62.19 billion, a PE ratio of 34.49, a PEG ratio of 3.56 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.59. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $90.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $89.68. Sempra Energy has a 52 week low of $61.90 and a 52 week high of $97.44.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $3.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.82 billion. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 13.27% and a return on equity of 8.22%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.50 EPS. The company’s revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect 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 given a dividend of $0.6575 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 payout ratio is 93.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and set a $99.00 price target (up from $80.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Monday, November 24th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $101.00 price target on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Barclays set a $95.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Sempra Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sempra Energy currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $100.00.

Insider Transactions at Sempra Energy

In other news, Director Cynthia J. Warner purchased 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $92.95 per share, with a total value of $232,375.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 11,275 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,048,011.25. This trade represents a 28.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Jennifer M. Kirk purchased 1,000 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $93.44 per share, with a total value of $93,440.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at $93,440. The trade was a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders bought a total of 6,192 shares of company stock worth $576,979 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

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.