Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) Posts Quarterly Earnings Results, Misses Expectations By $0.02 EPS

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday. The pipeline company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by ($0.02), Zacks reports. The company had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.87 billion. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 21.63%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.43 EPS. Williams Companies updated its FY 2025 guidance to 2.010-2.190 EPS.

Williams Companies Trading Up 2.0%

WMB opened at $59.04 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $60.36 and its 200-day moving average is $59.41. Williams Companies has a 52-week low of $51.48 and a 52-week high of $65.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.67, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.65.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 100.50%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of 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 initiated coverage on Williams Companies in a research note on Friday, September 19th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $66.00 price target on the stock. Zacks Research downgraded Williams Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Argus restated a “buy” rating and issued a $66.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $67.50.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.62, for a total transaction of $115,240.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 311,645 shares of the company’s stock, 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 SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.47, for a total transaction of $263,115.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer directly 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 ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Williams Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WMB. BROOKFIELD Corp ON lifted its holdings in Williams Companies by 190.3% during the 2nd quarter. BROOKFIELD Corp ON now owns 12,028,186 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $755,490,000 after buying an additional 7,884,730 shares during the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Williams Companies by 140.2% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,900,976 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $119,400,000 after purchasing an additional 1,109,640 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. boosted its holdings in Williams Companies by 9.8% in the second quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. now owns 8,994,247 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $564,929,000 after purchasing an additional 802,931 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in Williams Companies by 7.5% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 6,085,218 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $382,163,000 after purchasing an additional 427,074 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LLC raised its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 79.3% during the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 952,101 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $59,802,000 after purchasing an additional 421,004 shares during the period. 86.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.