Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. Makes New $27.64 Million Investment in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• Adage Capital Partners has invested approximately $27.6 million in Williams Companies, acquiring 462,499 shares during the 1st quarter.
• Institutions currently hold 86.44% of Williams Companies' stock, highlighting strong institutional interest, with multiple firms increasing their stakes.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, representing a yield of 3.5%, with a 100.50% payout ratio.

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 462,499 shares of the pipeline company's stock, valued at approximately $27,639,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Menard Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in Williams Companies in the first quarter worth $29,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 4,490.9% in the first quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 505 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 494 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of NYSE:WMB traded down $0.44 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $57.14. The company had a trading volume of 8,344,809 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,864,175. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $43.98 and a 12 month high of $63.45. 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 stock has a market cap of $69.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.71, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.65. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $58.17 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.39.

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

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. CIBC raised 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. Wolfe Research raised Williams Companies from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Friday, June 13th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Williams Companies in a research report on Monday, July 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $67.00 price objective on the stock. Cibc World Mkts raised Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $62.86.

Insider Activity

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.68, for a total value of $119,360.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 313,645 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,718,333.60. This trade represents a 0.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.47, for a total value of $263,115.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 77,612 shares in the company, valued at $4,537,973.64. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 8,500 shares of company stock worth $507,875 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Profile

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.