Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Rating Lowered to “Sell” at Wall Street Zen

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

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on SRE. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $100.00 price target (up from $96.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Friday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $101.00 target price on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Friday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Sempra Energy from $113.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, March 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Sempra Energy from $98.00 to $106.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 18th. Finally, Barclays set a $95.00 price target on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $100.73.

Sempra Energy Stock Up 0.7%

SRE opened at $96.57 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.99, a PEG ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 0.73. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $91.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $90.70. Sempra Energy has a twelve month low of $61.90 and a twelve month high of $97.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 1.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.16. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 13.27% and a return on equity of 8.22%. The company had revenue of $3.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.82 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra Energy

In other news, CAO Dyan Z. Wold sold 1,539 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.38, for a total value of $146,789.82. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 4,633 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $441,895.54. This trade represents a 24.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Cynthia J. Warner acquired 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $92.95 per share, for a total transaction of $232,375.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 11,275 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,048,011.25. This represents a 28.49% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have purchased a total of 6,192 shares of company stock valued at $576,979 in the last ninety days. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sempra Energy

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy in the third quarter worth $25,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC bought a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 57.7% during the 4th quarter. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd now owns 347 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Key Financial Inc lifted its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 73.6% during the 4th quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 153 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 83.0% in the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 355 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 161 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

About Sempra Energy

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.