Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Director Richard Mark Purchases 2,692 Shares

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Director Richard Mark purchased 2,692 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $93.30 per share, with a total value of $251,163.60. Following the purchase, the director owned 17,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,621,180.80. The trade was a 18.33% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of Sempra Energy stock traded down $0.21 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $92.76. 2,131,730 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,597,272. The company has a current ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $90.45 and a 200-day moving average price of $89.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $60.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.61, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.48 and a beta of 0.73. Sempra Energy has a 1-year low of $61.90 and a 1-year high of $97.44.

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, beating 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 business had revenue of $3.75 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.82 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.50 EPS. Sempra Energy’s revenue was down .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 19th will be paid a dividend of $0.6575 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 19th. This represents a $2.63 annualized dividend 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 presently 93.48%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sempra Energy

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Sempra Energy in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new position in shares of Sempra Energy during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd grew its position 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 worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 83.0% during the 4th quarter. Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC now owns 355 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Key Financial Inc increased its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 73.6% during the fourth quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 153 shares during the period. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on SRE shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Sempra Energy from $112.00 to $113.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $101.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and set a $99.00 target price (up from $80.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Monday, November 24th. Finally, Argus upgraded shares of Sempra Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $100.00.

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.