Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to “Hold” Rating

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a note issued to investors on Saturday.

SRE has been the topic of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $101.00 price target on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $98.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Argus raised shares of Sempra Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and set a $99.00 target price (up from $80.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Monday, November 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sempra Energy has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $100.55.

Sempra Energy Stock Down 3.7%

SRE stock opened at $91.75 on Friday. 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 has a market capitalization of $59.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.24, a PEG ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 0.73. Sempra Energy has a fifty-two week low of $61.90 and a fifty-two week high of $97.44. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $91.45 and a 200-day moving average of $90.01.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $3.75 billion during 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.50 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra Energy

In other Sempra Energy news, CFO Karen L. Sedgwick sold 4,872 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.58, for a total value of $451,049.76. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 39,029 shares in the company, valued at $3,613,304.82. This represents a 11.10% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Cynthia J. Warner purchased 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $92.95 per share, with a total value of $232,375.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 11,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,048,011.25. This trade represents a 28.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have purchased a total of 6,192 shares of company stock worth $576,979 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sempra Energy

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy in the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 57.7% during the fourth quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 347 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Key Financial Inc increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 73.6% in the fourth quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 83.0% in the fourth quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 355 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.65% 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.