Brokerages Set Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) PT at $101.64

Shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) have received a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $102.6667.

A number of equities analysts have commented on SRE shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $98.00 to $106.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, March 18th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Monday. Truist Financial set a $108.00 target price on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday. Argus upgraded shares of Sempra Energy from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 4th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $100.00 target price (up from $96.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Friday, March 6th.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of SRE stock opened at $92.43 on Friday. Sempra Energy has a 12 month low of $72.56 and a 12 month high of $101.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $60.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.52 and a beta of 0.67. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $95.12 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $91.92.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The utilities provider reported $1.28 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.12 by $0.16. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 13.27% and a return on equity of 8.22%. The firm had revenue of $3.75 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.82 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.50 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 5.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, March 19th were paid a $0.6575 dividend. This is a boost from Sempra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.65. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, March 19th. This represents a $2.63 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. Sempra Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 95.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Richard J. Mark bought 2,692 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 11th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $93.30 per share, for a total transaction of $251,163.60. Following the purchase, the director owned 17,376 shares in the company, valued at $1,621,180.80. This trade represents a 18.33% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Jennifer M. Kirk bought 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 12th. The stock was bought at an average price of $93.44 per share, for a total transaction of $93,440.00. Following the purchase, the director owned 1,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $93,440. This represents a ∞ increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last quarter, insiders have acquired 6,192 shares of company stock worth $576,979 and have sold 7,539 shares worth $706,906. Company insiders own 0.31% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Sempra Energy

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. West Wealth Group LLC raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 1.1% during the third quarter. West Wealth Group LLC now owns 10,207 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $942,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 12.1% during the first quarter. Creative Capital Management Investments LLC now owns 1,040 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $101,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. Town & Country Bank & Trust CO dba First Bankers Trust CO raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 1.7% during 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 acquiring an additional 113 shares during the period. Mesirow Financial Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 1.4% during 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 during the period. Finally, Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 5,191 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $458,000 after acquiring an additional 116 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

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.