Jennifer Kirk Buys 1,000 Shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Stock

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Director Jennifer Kirk bought 1,000 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $93.44 per share, for a total transaction of $93,440.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 1,000 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $93,440. This trade represents a ∞ increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Sempra Energy Trading Up 2.2%

Shares of SRE stock traded up $2.01 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $95.20. 2,782,874 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,460,208. The firm has a market capitalization of $62.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.49 and a beta of 0.73. Sempra Energy has a 12-month low of $61.90 and a 12-month high of $97.44. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $90.63 and its 200-day moving average price is $89.48. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75.

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

Sempra Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.6575 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, March 19th. This represents a $2.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. This is an increase from Sempra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Sempra Energy’s dividend payout ratio is 93.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SRE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 price objective (up from $96.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Friday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $101.00 target price on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Sempra Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Sempra Energy from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $100.00.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. World Investment Advisors lifted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 81.1% in the 4th quarter. World Investment Advisors now owns 6,734 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $595,000 after purchasing an additional 3,016 shares during the period. Corient Private Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Sempra Energy by 15.7% during the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 516,938 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $45,641,000 after buying an additional 70,055 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 2,483,473 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $219,295,000 after buying an additional 234,894 shares in the last quarter. Bayban bought a new position in Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter worth approximately $47,000. Finally, Pure Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 29.2% during the fourth quarter. Pure Financial Advisors LLC now owns 46,776 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,130,000 after buying an additional 10,584 shares during the period. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.