Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Boosts Stake in Sempra Energy $SRE

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. raised its holdings in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,543,070 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,544 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $138,845,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in shares of Sempra Energy in the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Sempra Energy by 51.2% during 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 last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC grew its stake 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. grew its stake in Sempra Energy by 230.8% in the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 430 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 300 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $34,000 after buying an additional 189 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

SRE has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $99.00 price objective (up from $80.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Monday, November 24th. Evercore ISI set a $105.00 price target on Sempra Energy and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, October 6th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. Mizuho upped their price objective on Sempra Energy from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 24th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Sempra Energy in a report on Monday, October 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $115.00 price objective on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $96.17.

Insider Activity

In other Sempra Energy news, EVP Caroline Ann Winn sold 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.70, for a total value of $45,850.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 33,664 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,086,988.80. This trade represents a 1.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CAO Dyan Z. Wold sold 1,510 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.38, for a total value of $137,983.80. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer owned 3,481 shares in the company, valued at approximately $318,093.78. This represents a 30.25% 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 have sold 19,396 shares of company stock valued at $1,785,606. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of SRE stock opened at $90.29 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $58.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.69, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.74. Sempra Energy has a fifty-two week low of $61.90 and a fifty-two week high of $95.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.59. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $90.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $86.09.

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

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

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

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.