Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Earns Hold Rating from Analysts at StockNews.com

StockNews.com initiated coverage on shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE – Get Rating) in a research note released on Thursday. The firm issued a hold rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on SRE. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $169.00 to $166.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 1st. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $180.00 to $174.00 and set an overweight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, March 1st. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $160.00 to $158.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 22nd. Finally, TheStreet upgraded shares of Sempra Energy from a c+ rating to a b- rating in a report on Friday, December 2nd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sempra Energy currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $169.60.

Sempra Energy Stock Down 2.3 %

Sempra Energy stock opened at $145.34 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $45.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 21.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 0.72. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $155.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $156.77. The company has a current ratio of 0.60, a quick ratio of 0.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. Sempra Energy has a 1-year low of $136.54 and a 1-year high of $176.47.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE – Get Rating) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 28th. The utilities provider reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.06 by $0.29. The firm had revenue of $3.46 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.79 billion. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 14.74% and a return on equity of 10.53%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.16 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 8.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 22nd will be given a dividend of $1.19 per share. This is a positive change from Sempra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. This represents a $4.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 21st. Sempra Energy’s payout ratio is 69.18%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 15,964 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.92, for a total transaction of $2,584,890.88. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 19,261 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,118,741.12. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CAO Karen L. Sedgwick sold 1,621 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.44, for a total transaction of $258,452.24. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 20,823 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,320,019.12. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 15,964 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.92, for a total transaction of $2,584,890.88. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 19,261 shares in the company, valued at $3,118,741.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 52,504 shares of company stock worth $8,045,547. Corporate insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sempra Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. North Star Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $204,000. Voya Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Sempra Energy by 6.2% in the fourth quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 256,911 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $39,703,000 after buying an additional 15,039 shares in the last quarter. Chesapeake Wealth Management acquired a new position in Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $252,000. Tillman Hartley LLC acquired a new position in Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $212,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC boosted its position in Sempra Energy by 16.9% in the fourth quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 824 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $127,000 after buying an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. 84.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Energy Company Profile

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Sempra Energy is an energy-service holding company, which engages in the development and operation of energy infrastructure, and provision of electric and gas services. It operates through the following segments: San Diego Gas and Electric Company (SDG&E), Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), Sempra Texas Utilities, Sempra Mexico, and Sempra LNG.