UBS Group Cuts Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Price Target to $92.00

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) had its target price reduced by UBS Group from $98.00 to $92.00 in a research report released on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have a neutral rating on the utilities provider’s stock.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on SRE. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Wednesday. Wells Fargo & Company restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $112.00 price target (down previously from $115.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Tuesday. Jefferies Financial Group set a $89.00 price target on Sempra Energy and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on Sempra Energy from $95.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $97.00 target price (down from $98.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $95.83.

Sempra Energy Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:SRE opened at $85.92 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $89.60 and its two-hundred day moving average is $86.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.59. Sempra Energy has a 1-year low of $61.90 and a 1-year high of $95.72. The stock has a market capitalization 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.

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

Sempra Energy Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra Energy

In other Sempra Energy news, CFO Karen L. Sedgwick sold 7,564 shares of Sempra Energy 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 transaction, the chief financial officer owned 41,280 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,809,731.20. The trade was a 15.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Dyan Z. Wold sold 1,510 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $91.38, for a total value of $137,983.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 3,481 shares in the company, valued at $318,093.78. This represents a 30.25% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 19,396 shares of company stock worth $1,785,606. Company insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Sempra Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SRE. West Wealth Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. West Wealth Group LLC now owns 10,207 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $942,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO boosted its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.7% in the third quarter. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO now owns 6,911 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $622,000 after buying an additional 113 shares during the period. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.4% in the third quarter. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,587 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $773,000 after acquiring an additional 115 shares in the last quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 5,191 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $458,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Finally, Advisor OS LLC lifted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Advisor OS LLC now owns 9,681 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $871,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.