Sempra (NYSE:SRE) Shares Sold by B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc.

B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc. cut its position in shares of Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Free Report) by 45.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,507 shares of the utilities provider's stock after selling 6,259 shares during the quarter. B. Riley Wealth Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Sempra were worth $576,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Family Firm Inc. bought a new stake in Sempra in the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Sempra in the second quarter worth $33,000. Financial Connections Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Sempra in the second quarter worth about $34,000. SouthState Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Sempra by 900.0% in the second quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 470 shares of the utilities provider's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 423 shares during the period. Finally, Opal Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in Sempra during the 2nd quarter worth about $39,000. 89.65% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Sempra Stock Performance

NYSE:SRE traded up $0.07 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $82.60. 1,388,396 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,463,407. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.84, a current ratio of 0.46 and a quick ratio of 0.41. Sempra has a 52-week low of $64.29 and a 52-week high of $84.47. The company's 50 day moving average price is $81.48 and its 200-day moving average price is $76.83. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.29, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.75.

Sempra (NYSE:SRE - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, August 6th. The utilities provider reported $0.89 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.92 by ($0.03). Sempra had a net margin of 22.31% and a return on equity of 8.58%. The firm had revenue of $3.01 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.94 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 9.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts forecast that Sempra will post 4.79 earnings per share for the current year.

Sempra Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, October 15th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, September 26th will be issued a $0.62 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, September 26th. This represents a $2.48 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.00%. Sempra's dividend payout ratio is currently 54.93%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Sempra in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $94.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Sempra from $83.00 to $84.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 7th. Barclays raised their price objective on Sempra from $87.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 1st. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Sempra from $90.00 to $93.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, September 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Sempra from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Sempra has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $85.27.

About Sempra

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.