Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) Short Interest Down 13.1% in March

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) saw a large decrease in short interest in the month of March. As of March 13th, there was short interest totaling 8,870,993 shares, a decrease of 13.1% from the February 26th total of 10,207,847 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 3,349,379 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.6 days. Currently, 1.4% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra Energy

In other Sempra Energy news, Director Richard J. Mark bought 2,692 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $93.30 per share, for a total transaction of $251,163.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 17,376 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,621,180.80. This represents a 18.33% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Dyan Z. Wold sold 1,539 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $95.38, for a total value of $146,789.82. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer directly owned 4,633 shares in the company, valued at approximately $441,895.54. The trade was a 24.94% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders have acquired 6,192 shares of company stock valued at $576,979. 0.27% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Sempra Energy

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Sempra Energy during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Ares Financial Consulting LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd raised its holdings 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 valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 127 shares during the period. Key Financial Inc raised its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 73.6% during the 4th quarter. Key Financial Inc now owns 361 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 153 shares during the period. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in 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 acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Sempra Energy Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:SRE opened at $96.57 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $91.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $90.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.99, a PEG ratio of 3.63 and a beta of 0.73. Sempra Energy has a 1 year low of $61.90 and a 1 year high of $97.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 1.57 and a current ratio of 1.59.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.12 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $3.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.82 billion. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 13.27% and a return on equity of 8.22%. Sempra Energy’s revenue for the quarter was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.50 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Energy Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, March 19th will be issued a dividend of $0.6575 per share. This represents a $2.63 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.7%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, March 19th. This is a positive change from Sempra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. Sempra Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 95.29%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

SRE has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $100.00 price objective (up from $96.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a report on Friday, March 6th. Barclays set a $95.00 price target on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $101.00 price target on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Sempra Energy from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Sunday. Finally, Argus raised shares of Sempra Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $100.73.

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.