Sempra Energy $SRE Shares Sold by Nisa Investment Advisors LLC

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC decreased its position in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 123,820 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 7,202 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $11,141,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Westside Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 51.2% in the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 375 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares during the period. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 245.1% in the 2nd quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 421 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 299 shares in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. increased its holdings in Sempra Energy by 230.8% during the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 430 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 300 shares during the last quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC raised its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 74.1% in the 2nd quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 444 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hartford Funds Management Co LLC purchased a new position in shares of Sempra Energy during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Energy Price Performance

NYSE SRE opened at $88.82 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76. Sempra Energy has a 1 year low of $61.90 and a 1 year high of $95.72. The company has a market cap of $57.97 billion, a PE ratio of 27.24, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.74. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $90.28 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $85.81.

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

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, December 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.645 per share. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 11th. Sempra Energy’s payout ratio is 79.14%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SRE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $101.00 to $98.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. UBS Group set a $96.00 price target on Sempra Energy and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Wells Fargo & Company initiated coverage on Sempra Energy in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and set a $99.00 price target (up from $80.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Monday, November 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.17.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 4,322 shares of the firm’s 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $1,048,128.75. This trade represents a 27.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Caroline Ann Winn sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.70, for a total value of $45,850.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 33,664 shares in the company, valued at $3,086,988.80. The trade was a 1.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 19,396 shares of company stock worth $1,785,606 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.27% 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.