JPMorgan Chase & Co. Increases Position in Sempra Energy $SRE

JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE) by 106.3% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,428,007 shares of the utilities provider’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,374,277 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. owned 1.60% of Sempra Energy worth $938,325,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Sempra Energy by 19.4% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 85,334 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $7,678,000 after purchasing an additional 13,864 shares during the last quarter. Westerkirk Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Sempra Energy in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,091,000. Amundi raised its stake in Sempra Energy by 20.8% during the 2nd quarter. Amundi now owns 1,903,624 shares of the utilities provider’s stock worth $142,429,000 after acquiring an additional 327,154 shares in the last quarter. North Star Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Sempra Energy in the 2nd quarter valued at about $212,000. Finally, Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its stake in Sempra Energy by 32.6% in the third quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 74,620 shares of the utilities provider’s stock valued at $6,714,000 after buying an additional 18,359 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 89.65% of the company’s stock.

Sempra Energy Price Performance

Shares of NYSE SRE opened at $92.89 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 1.59 and a quick ratio of 1.56. Sempra Energy has a 1-year low of $61.90 and a 1-year high of $95.74. The business has a 50-day moving average of $88.72 and a 200-day moving average of $88.15. The company has a market capitalization of $60.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.49, a PEG ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 0.74.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on SRE. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Sempra Energy in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Jefferies Financial Group set a $89.00 price target on shares of Sempra Energy and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Barclays set a $95.00 price target on Sempra Energy and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. BTIG Research raised shares of Sempra Energy to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on Sempra Energy from $95.00 to $99.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and six have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $95.83.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Karen L. Sedgwick sold 7,564 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $92.29, for a total value of $698,081.56. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 41,280 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,809,731.20. This represents a 15.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.27% 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.