Moody National Bank Trust Division Has $2.24 Million Stock Position in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE)

Moody National Bank Trust Division increased its stake in shares of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE – Get Rating) by 1.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 14,502 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division’s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $2,241,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the third quarter worth approximately $35,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 440.0% during the third quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 243 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 198 shares during the period. EWG Elevate Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Sempra Energy by 842.9% during the second quarter. Atlas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 264 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares during the period. Finally, Coston McIsaac & Partners acquired a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy during the second quarter worth approximately $47,000. 84.75% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on SRE. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on shares of Sempra Energy from $169.00 to $166.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 1st. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $160.00 to $158.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 22nd. TheStreet raised shares of Sempra Energy from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Friday, December 2nd. StockNews.com started coverage on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Thursday. They set a “hold” rating on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $180.00 to $174.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 1st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Sempra Energy currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $169.60.

Sempra Energy Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:SRE traded down $3.35 during trading on Friday, reaching $145.34. The stock had a trading volume of 3,999,818 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,339,725. Sempra Energy has a 52 week low of $136.54 and a 52 week high of $176.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.95, a P/E/G ratio of 2.88 and a beta of 0.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.56, a current ratio of 0.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.87. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $155.21 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $156.84.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 28th. The utilities provider reported $2.35 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.06 by $0.29. Sempra Energy had a net margin of 14.74% and a return on equity of 10.53%. The company had revenue of $3.46 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.79 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.16 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Sempra Energy will post 8.94 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sempra Energy Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, April 15th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 22nd will be paid a $1.19 dividend. This is an increase from Sempra Energy’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.15. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, March 21st. This represents a $4.76 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.28%. Sempra Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 71.90%.

Insider Transactions at Sempra Energy

In other news, CAO Karen L. Sedgwick sold 1,621 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.44, for a total value of $258,452.24. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 20,823 shares in the company, valued at $3,320,019.12. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Jeffrey W. Martin sold 15,964 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $161.92, for a total value of $2,584,890.88. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 19,261 shares in the company, valued at $3,118,741.12. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Karen L. Sedgwick sold 1,621 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $159.44, for a total transaction of $258,452.24. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 20,823 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,320,019.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 52,504 shares of company stock worth $8,045,547. Insiders own 0.14% of the company’s stock.

About Sempra Energy

(Get Rating)

Sempra Energy is an energy-service holding company, which engages in the development and operation of energy infrastructure, and provision of electric and gas services. It operates through the following segments: San Diego Gas and Electric Company (SDG&E), Southern California Gas Company (SoCalGas), Sempra Texas Utilities, Sempra Mexico, and Sempra LNG.