UniSuper Management Pty Ltd Has $5.52 Million Holdings in Sempra Energy $SRE

UniSuper Management Pty Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) by 17.5% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 61,342 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 9,132 shares during the period. UniSuper Management Pty Ltd’s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $5,520,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Westerkirk Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Sempra Energy during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,091,000. Amundi lifted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 20.8% in the second quarter. Amundi now owns 1,903,624 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $142,429,000 after purchasing an additional 327,154 shares in the last quarter. Patton Fund Management Inc. acquired a new position in Sempra Energy during the second quarter worth $223,000. AMF Tjanstepension AB grew its position in Sempra Energy by 91.9% in the second quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 493,066 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $37,413,000 after purchasing an additional 236,120 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. increased its stake in Sempra Energy by 3.3% in the 2nd quarter. GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. now owns 353,620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $26,794,000 after buying an additional 11,437 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Energy Trading Up 0.2%

SRE stock opened at $85.92 on Monday. Sempra Energy has a one year low of $61.90 and a one year high of $95.72. The stock has a market cap of $56.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $89.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $86.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.56.

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

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, January 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, December 11th were given a $0.645 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, December 11th. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.0%. Sempra Energy’s dividend payout ratio is presently 79.14%.

Insider Transactions at Sempra Energy

In other Sempra Energy news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 4,322 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.55, for a total value of $400,001.10. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 11,325 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,048,128.75. This represents a 27.62% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Karen L. Sedgwick sold 7,564 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.29, for a total value of $698,081.56. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 41,280 shares in the company, valued at $3,809,731.20. The trade was a 15.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 19,396 shares of company stock worth $1,785,606 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

SRE has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. UBS Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Sempra Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. BMO Capital Markets raised their target price on shares of Sempra Energy from $95.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. BTIG Research raised shares of Sempra Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $95.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $95.83.

Sempra Energy 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.