16,366 Shares in Sempra Energy $SRE Acquired by Apriem Advisors

Apriem Advisors acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 16,366 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,473,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in SRE. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new stake in Sempra Energy in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Westside Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 51.2% during the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 375 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 127 shares during the last quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 299 shares during the period. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy in the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Activest Wealth Management lifted its position in Sempra Energy by 74.6% in the 3rd quarter. Activest Wealth Management now owns 391 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Sempra Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $112.00 price objective (down from $115.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Barclays set a $95.00 target price on Sempra Energy and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $101.00 target price on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Friday. One equities 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 stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $96.17.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

Sempra Energy stock opened at $93.55 on Tuesday. Sempra Energy has a 12-month low of $61.90 and a 12-month high of $95.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.06 billion, a PE ratio of 28.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.53 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $89.05 and a 200-day simple moving average of $88.45.

About Sempra Energy

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.