Sempra Energy (SRE) To Go Ex-Dividend on March 19th

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) declared a quarterly dividend on Wednesday, February 25th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 19th will be paid a dividend of 0.6575 per share by the utilities provider on Wednesday, April 15th. This represents a c) annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 19th. This is a 1.9% increase from Sempra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65.

Sempra Energy has raised its dividend by an average of 0.1%annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 22 consecutive years. Sempra Energy has a dividend payout ratio of 51.6% indicating that its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Sempra Energy to earn $5.14 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $2.58 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 50.2%.

Sempra Energy Stock Up 0.3%

Sempra Energy stock traded up $0.31 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $95.51. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 252,822 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,066,147. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $62.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.31, a PEG ratio of 3.57 and a beta of 0.74. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $89.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $88.63. Sempra Energy has a 52-week low of $61.90 and a 52-week high of $97.44.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $3.75 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.82 billion. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 15.63% and a return on equity of 8.67%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.50 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $112.00 price target (down from $115.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $101.00 target price on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Friday, February 20th. Barclays set a $95.00 target price on Sempra Energy and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. UBS Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $100.00 price target on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sempra Energy presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $99.10.

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.