Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB Shares Sold by Partners Group Holding AG

Partners Group Holding AG decreased its holdings in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) by 3.4% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 764,243 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 27,088 shares during the period. Williams Companies makes up approximately 2.3% of Partners Group Holding AG’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest holding. Partners Group Holding AG’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $48,002,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Flaharty Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 104.8% in the 2nd quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 469 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the period. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 4,490.9% in the 1st quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 505 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 494 shares during the period. Finally, Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams Companies news, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 $4,537,973.64. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.62, for a total value of $115,240.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 311,645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,956,984.90. This represents a 0.64% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on WMB shares. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Williams Companies from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on Williams Companies in a report on Friday, September 19th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $66.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on Williams Companies from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Cibc World Mkts upgraded Williams Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Zacks Research cut Williams Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.50.

Williams Companies Price Performance

WMB stock opened at $59.04 on Tuesday. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $51.48 and a 1 year high of $65.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.54. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $60.36 and its 200 day moving average price is $59.41. The firm has a market cap of $71.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.67, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.65.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The pipeline company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by ($0.02). Williams Companies had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 16.23%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.43 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 100.50%.

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.