Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp Makes New $1.26 Million Investment in Sempra Energy $SRE

Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new stake in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 16,678 shares of the utilities provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,264,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in SRE. Westside Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Sempra Energy by 51.2% in the second quarter. Westside Investment Management Inc. now owns 375 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 127 shares in the last quarter. Pingora Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 48.3% in the 1st quarter. Pingora Partners LLC now owns 430 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 140 shares during the period. NewSquare Capital LLC increased its stake 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 in the last quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. lifted its position in Sempra Energy by 230.8% during the 2nd quarter. ST Germain D J Co. Inc. now owns 430 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 300 shares during the period. Finally, Bogart Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 74.1% during the second quarter. Bogart Wealth LLC now owns 444 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 189 shares in the last quarter. 89.65% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Sempra Energy

In other Sempra Energy news, SVP Alexander Lisa Larroque sold 4,322 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $92.55, for a total value of $400,001.10. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 11,325 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,048,128.75. This trade represents a 27.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kevin C. Sagara sold 14,433 shares of Sempra Energy stock in a transaction on Monday, September 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $89.50, for a total transaction of $1,291,753.50. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,042 shares in the company, valued at $93,259. This represents a 93.27% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 52,733 shares of company stock valued at $4,541,791. Insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Energy Price Performance

NYSE SRE opened at $93.63 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $88.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $81.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $61.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.62, a PEG ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 0.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 0.48 and a quick ratio of 0.41. Sempra Energy has a 1-year low of $61.90 and a 1-year high of $95.77.

Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 5th. The utilities provider reported $1.11 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.27. Sempra Energy had a return on equity of 8.42% and a net margin of 20.28%.The company had revenue of $3.15 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.99 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.89 earnings per share. Sempra Energy’s revenue was up 13.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Sempra Energy will post 4.76 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Energy Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, January 15th. Investors of record on Thursday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.645 per share. This represents a $2.58 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 11th. Sempra Energy’s payout ratio is 62.32%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on SRE shares. Mizuho upped their price target on Sempra Energy from $86.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 24th. Wells Fargo & Company began coverage on Sempra Energy in a report on Monday, October 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $115.00 target price on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Sempra Energy from $95.00 to $99.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Wall Street Zen raised Sempra Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Sempra Energy from $82.00 to $98.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.42.

About Sempra Energy

Sempra operates as an energy infrastructure company in the United States and internationally. It operates through three segments: Sempra California, Sempra Texas Utilities, and Sempra Infrastructure. The Sempra California segment provides electric services; and natural gas services to San Diego County.