Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) has earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen analysts that are presently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $95.8333.

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on SRE shares. Morgan Stanley set a $97.00 price target on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $99.00 target price (up previously from $80.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Monday, November 24th. UBS Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised Sempra Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on Sempra Energy from $95.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd.

Sempra Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SRE opened at $87.50 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.59. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $88.45 and a 200 day moving average of $87.61. The firm has a market cap of $57.11 billion, a PE ratio of 26.84, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.74. Sempra Energy has a one year low of $61.90 and a one year high of $95.72.

Insider Transactions at Sempra Energy

In related news, CAO Dyan Z. Wold sold 1,510 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.38, for a total transaction of $137,983.80. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $318,093.78. The trade was a 30.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Caroline Ann Winn sold 5,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 18th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.58, for a total transaction of $503,690.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 34,164 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,128,739.12. This represents a 13.87% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 15,074 shares of company stock valued at $1,385,605. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sempra Energy

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in SRE. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Sempra Energy by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,734,070 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,774,907,000 after buying an additional 1,008,476 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 9.2% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 54,071,206 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $4,865,115,000 after purchasing an additional 4,572,312 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position in Sempra Energy by 1.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 34,986,169 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,148,055,000 after purchasing an additional 606,101 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Sempra Energy by 3.9% during the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,036,572 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $1,058,214,000 after purchasing an additional 525,750 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 106.3% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 10,428,007 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $938,325,000 after purchasing an additional 5,374,277 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.