Hantz Financial Services Inc. Lowers Stake in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Hantz Financial Services Inc. trimmed its holdings in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) by 16.1% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 206,758 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 39,688 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $12,986,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WMB. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Williams Companies by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 131,163,184 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $7,838,312,000 after acquiring an additional 807,019 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 6.0% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 29,624,104 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $1,770,336,000 after purchasing an additional 1,680,477 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG increased its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 5.6% in the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 17,520,491 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $1,047,025,000 after purchasing an additional 932,998 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 0.4% during the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 15,291,842 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $913,840,000 after purchasing an additional 54,902 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 45.0% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 11,339,078 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $677,623,000 after purchasing an additional 3,519,370 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

Williams Companies Trading Down 1.2%

Shares of WMB opened at $56.92 on Thursday. Williams Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $51.48 and a twelve month high of $65.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.60, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.65. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $60.30 and its two-hundred day moving average is $59.40.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The pipeline company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.49 by ($0.03). Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 21.63%.The firm had revenue of $2.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.90 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.43 EPS. Williams Companies’s revenue was up 19.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 100.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMB has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. BMO Capital Markets began coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Friday, September 19th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $66.00 target price on the stock. CIBC raised shares of Williams Companies from a “neutral” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and set a $64.00 price target for the company in a report on Friday, August 15th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Argus reissued a “buy” rating and set a $66.00 target price on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams Companies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.73.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams Companies

In related news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.62, for a total value of $115,240.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 311,645 shares in the company, valued at $17,956,984.90. The trade was a 0.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.47, for a total transaction of $263,115.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 77,612 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,537,973.64. The trade was a 5.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 8,500 shares of company stock valued at $497,715 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

About Williams Companies

The Williams Companies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy infrastructure company primarily in the United States. It operates through Transmission & Gulf of Mexico, Northeast G&P, West, and Gas & NGL Marketing Services segments. The Transmission & Gulf of Mexico segment comprises natural gas pipelines; Transco, Northwest pipeline, MountainWest, and related natural gas storage facilities; and natural gas gathering and processing, and crude oil production handling and transportation assets in the Gulf Coast region.