Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY Raises Stock Position in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY boosted its position in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) by 1.7% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund owned 920,121 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,043 shares during the quarter. Williams Companies makes up 1.8% of Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY’s portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Miller Howard Investments Inc. NY’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $58,290,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Private Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the second quarter worth about $29,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new stake in Williams Companies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. 86.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

Shares of WMB stock opened at $60.31 on Friday. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $51.58 and a 52-week high of $65.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The stock has a market cap of $73.65 billion, a PE ratio of 31.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 0.64. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.96 and a 200-day simple moving average of $59.68.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The pipeline company reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.51 by ($0.02). Williams Companies had a net margin of 20.61% and a return on equity of 16.74%. The company had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.43 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 29th. Investors of record on Friday, December 12th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 12th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 103.09%.

Insider Transactions at Williams Companies

In related news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.90, for a total transaction of $123,800.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 297,545 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,418,035.50. This trade represents a 0.67% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on WMB shares. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group raised their target price on Williams Companies from $70.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Zacks Research cut Williams Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Barclays increased their price objective on Williams Companies from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Williams Companies from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued 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 an average target price of $68.29.

Williams Companies Company Profile

Williams Companies, Inc (NYSE: WMB) is a U.S.-based energy infrastructure company focused on the midstream segment of the natural gas value chain. The company develops, owns and operates assets that gather, process, transport and store natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs). Its operations support the movement of gas from production areas to end users including utilities, power generators, industrial customers and export facilities.

Williams’s product and service offering includes interstate and intrastate pipeline transmission, gas-gathering systems, processing facilities that remove impurities and separate NGLs, storage services and fractionation and transportation of NGL products.