Alliancebernstein L.P. Sells 72,735 Shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• Alliancebernstein L.P. reduced its stake in Williams Companies by 4.5%, selling 72,735 shares and retaining approximately 1.56 million shares worth about $93 million.
• Multiple hedge funds have recently adjusted their positions in Williams Companies, with a significant percentage of the stock (86.44%) now owned by institutional investors.
• Analysts have varied opinions on the stock, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a price target averaging around $62.86, despite a recent earnings miss.

Alliancebernstein L.P. cut its stake in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 4.5% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,559,455 shares of the pipeline company's stock after selling 72,735 shares during the quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. owned about 0.13% of Williams Companies worth $93,193,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WMB. Menard Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 4,490.9% during 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 purchased a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMB has been the topic of several recent research reports. CIBC upgraded Williams Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and set a $64.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Argus reissued a "buy" rating and set a $66.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Wolfe Research raised Williams Companies from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Friday, June 13th. Wall Street Zen cut Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, Cibc World Mkts raised Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $62.86.

Williams Companies Price Performance

NYSE WMB opened at $57.14 on Friday. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $58.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $58.39. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $43.98 and a 12-month high of $63.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $69.68 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.71, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.65.

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

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Williams Companies

In related news, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 77,612 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,537,973.64. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.68, for a total transaction of $119,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 313,645 shares in the company, valued at $18,718,333.60. This trade represents a 0.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 8,500 shares of company stock worth $507,875 over the last ninety days. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Williams Companies Company 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.

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