HighTower Advisors LLC Lowers Holdings in Sempra Energy $SRE

HighTower Advisors LLC lowered its position in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) by 1.4% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,318,918 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after selling 18,354 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in Sempra Energy were worth $118,676,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of SRE. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Sempra Energy by 3.3% during the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 66,328,942 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $5,025,777,000 after buying an additional 2,090,840 shares during the period. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Sempra Energy by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 34,380,068 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $2,626,827,000 after acquiring an additional 1,214,931 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its position in Sempra Energy by 3.9% during the 2nd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 14,036,572 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $1,058,214,000 after purchasing an additional 525,750 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $701,649,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp lifted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 1.2% in the 3rd quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 5,159,207 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $464,225,000 after purchasing an additional 60,247 shares during the period. 89.65% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Caroline Ann Winn sold 500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.70, for a total value of $45,850.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 33,664 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,086,988.80. This represents a 1.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Dyan Z. Wold sold 1,510 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $91.38, for a total value of $137,983.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 3,481 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $318,093.78. This trade represents a 30.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold 15,074 shares of company stock worth $1,385,605 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.27% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Sempra Energy from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, November 8th. Citigroup reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $99.00 price target (up from $80.00) on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Monday, November 24th. UBS Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $100.00 price objective on shares of Sempra Energy in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $97.00 target price on Sempra Energy and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Barclays set a $95.00 price target on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Sempra Energy presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $95.83.

Sempra Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SRE opened at $94.79 on Monday. Sempra Energy has a fifty-two week low of $61.90 and a fifty-two week high of $95.74. The company has a market cap of $61.86 billion, a PE ratio of 29.08, a P/E/G ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 1.56 and a current ratio of 1.59. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $88.50 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $87.98.

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.