SAN DIEGO, March 5, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE), an energy services holding company, has earned a No. 4 ranking among electric and gas utilities on Fortune magazine's 2007 "Most Admired Companies" list, published today. It is the first time the eight-year-old company has achieved a top industry ranking in the magazine's prestigious annual report card on corporate reputations.
"We are honored to be recognized by Fortune as one of the most admired U.S. companies by our peers and industry analysts," said Donald E. Felsinger, chairman and chief executive officer of Sempra Energy. "We recognize that building and maintaining a respected corporate reputation is a constantly evolving effort and that's why it is one of our key objectives as we continue to grow as a company."
To construct its 2007 list, Fortune partnered with Hay Group on a survey of executives, directors and securities analysts in 63 different industries. The survey respondents were asked to rank the top 10 companies of the Fortune 1,000 in each industry segment based on eight criteria: long-term investment value; social responsibility; quality of management; financial soundness; innovation; people management; quality of products and services; and use of corporate assets. Only those companies that scored the best in these criteria made the "Most Admired" list for their industry, according to the magazine.
From 1998 through 2006, Sempra Energy has produced an average annual total return to investors of approximately 15 percent, including 28 percent last year. The company also has been widely recognized for its efforts to develop a diverse workforce and network of suppliers. For seven consecutive years, Sempra Energy ranked among the top five of Fortune's "America's Best Companies for Minorities."
Fortune's "Most Admired Companies" is available online at http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/mostadmired/2007/index.html.
Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE), based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company with 2006 revenues of nearly $12 billion. The Sempra Energy companies' 14,000 employees serve more than 29 million consumers in the United States, Europe, Canada, Mexico, South America and Asia.