Earnings Preview: Sempra Energy's EPS, Revenue Expected to Rise

Sempra Energy SRE releases its next round of earnings this Tuesday, August 9, 2011. Here's Benzinga's essential guide to Sempra Energy's second quarter earnings report.

Earnings and Revenue:

Ahead of the company's earnings announcement, analysts are expecting a positive EPS reading of $1.00/share and revenues of $2.07 billion. Investors will be keen to see how this quarter's numbers compare against the year-ago quarter's EPS of 89 cents/share on revenues of $2.01 billion.

Here's how the company's reported EPS has stacked up against analyst estimates in the past:

Stock Performance:

Shares of Sempra Energy were trading at $49.68 as of August 3, 2011. Since January 1st, shares of Sempra Energy have declined 3.6%. For a full 12 months, the return has declined by 5%. Given that these returns are generally negative, long-term shareholders are probably a little upset going into this earnings release.

• Long-term shareholders are already wary of 12-month losses prior to the announcement

Average Stock Rating:

The average rating by analysts for Sempra Energy is a Hold.

Competitors:

Wondering how some of the other utilities companies are doing? Here are a few of Sempra Energy's peers in that sector.

• AEGON N.V. (ADR AEG: Strong Buy with a -$0.03 recent quarter EPS
• Dominion Resources D: Hold with a $0.59 recent quarter EPS
• MDU Resources Group MDU: Hold with a $0.24 recent quarter EPS
• Gas Natural (EGAS): Strong Buy with a $0.52 recent quarter EPS

Sempra Energy is in the utility-gas distribution industry, which has experienced price/earnings growth of 2.3%.

Finally, a description of the company's main areas of operation: Sempra Energy is an energy services holding company. With its subsidiaries, the company provides electric, natural gas and other energy-rated products and services worldwide. It also focuses on developing energy infrastructure and operating utilities. .

Take Action:

Now that you have reviewed all the numbers, be ready to move if the upcoming Sempra Energy earnings report has any surprises. Also, come back to Benzinga after the announcement for a full recap and a guide to your next steps.

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