Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Raises Stock Holdings in Sempra Energy $SRE

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH increased its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) by 5.2% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 328,739 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after buying an additional 16,319 shares during the quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $29,580,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Westerkirk Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Sempra Energy in the second quarter valued at about $3,091,000. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 20.8% in the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 1,903,624 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $142,429,000 after purchasing an additional 327,154 shares during the period. Patton Fund Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $223,000. AMF Tjanstepension AB lifted its stake in Sempra Energy by 91.9% in the second quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 493,066 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $37,413,000 after purchasing an additional 236,120 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. grew its holdings in Sempra Energy by 3.3% during the second quarter. GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. now owns 353,620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,794,000 after purchasing an additional 11,437 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Energy Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE SRE opened at $85.75 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.56, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. The company has a market cap of $55.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.30, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.74. Sempra Energy has a 52 week low of $61.90 and a 52 week high of $95.72. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $89.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $86.63.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.11 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.27. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 15.63% and a return on equity of 8.67%. The firm had revenue of $3.15 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.99 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.89 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 11th were issued a $0.645 dividend. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 11th. Sempra Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on SRE shares. BTIG Research upgraded Sempra Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $99.00 price objective (up from $80.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Evercore ISI set a $105.00 target price on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $112.00 target price (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.83.

Insider Activity

In other news, CAO Dyan Z. Wold sold 1,510 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.38, for a total value of $137,983.80. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $318,093.78. This represents a 30.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 4,322 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.55, for a total value of $400,001.10. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 11,325 shares in the company, valued at $1,048,128.75. This trade represents a 27.62% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 19,396 shares of company stock valued at $1,785,606 over the last 90 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.