APG Asset Management N.V. Sells 116,663 Shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• APG Asset Management N.V. sold 116,663 shares of Williams Companies, Inc., reducing its holdings by 16.1% to 609,278 shares, valued at approximately $33.7 million.
• Several analysts have recently given mixed ratings on Williams Companies, with price targets ranging from $62.86 to $70.00, marking a generally positive outlook despite recent sell-offs by some institutional investors.
• Williams Companies announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, with a yield of 3.5%, and plans to pay it on September 29th to shareholders of record on September 12th.

APG Asset Management N.V. reduced its position in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 16.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 609,278 shares of the pipeline company's stock after selling 116,663 shares during the period. APG Asset Management N.V.'s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $33,707,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMB. Menard Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter worth about $32,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on WMB. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Scotiabank increased their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $59.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Argus reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $66.00 price objective on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, TD Cowen assumed coverage on Williams Companies in a research note on Monday, July 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $67.00 price objective for the company. 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, Williams Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $62.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Williams Companies Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE:WMB traded up $0.39 on Wednesday, reaching $57.52. 5,909,783 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,689,763. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.66. The company's 50 day moving average is $58.69 and its 200-day moving average is $58.34. 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 1-year low of $43.98 and a 1-year high of $63.45.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $2.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. Williams Companies had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 19.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.43 EPS. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 12th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 12th. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 100.50%.

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.