Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Sets New 1-Year High – Should You Buy?

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) hit a new 52-week high on Friday . The company traded as high as $95.74 and last traded at $95.1260, with a volume of 1533924 shares. The stock had previously closed at $92.79.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on SRE shares. Jefferies Financial Group set a $89.00 price objective on Sempra Energy and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $97.00 price target on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Barclays set a $95.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. UBS Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $100.00 target price on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Thursday, January 22nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.83.

Sempra Energy Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $61.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.06, a PEG ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a fifty day moving average of $88.41 and a 200 day moving average of $87.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.56.

Insider Transactions at Sempra Energy

In other news, CAO Dyan Z. Wold sold 1,510 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.38, for a total value of $137,983.80. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $318,093.78. The trade was a 30.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Karen L. Sedgwick sold 7,564 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.29, for a total value of $698,081.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 41,280 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,809,731.20. This trade represents a 15.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last ninety days, insiders 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

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Sempra Energy by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 76,734,070 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $6,774,907,000 after acquiring an additional 1,008,476 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors raised its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 9.2% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 54,071,206 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $4,865,115,000 after purchasing an additional 4,572,312 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 36,810,449 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $3,273,460,000 after purchasing an additional 1,824,280 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its position in Sempra Energy by 17.0% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 22,330,091 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,971,524,000 after purchasing an additional 3,250,783 shares during the period. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 0.8% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,298,845 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,256,592,000 after purchasing an additional 116,554 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.