Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB Stake Raised by AQR Capital Management LLC

Key Points

• AQR Capital Management LLC significantly increased its holdings in Williams Companies by 133.2%, owning approximately $46.9 million worth of shares following additional purchases this quarter.
• Company insiders sold a total of 8,500 shares of Williams stock in the last 90 days, indicating varied confidence in the company's stock performance.
• Williams Companies announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 3.5%.

AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 133.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 791,336 shares of the pipeline company's stock after acquiring an additional 451,937 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Williams Companies worth $46,895,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Williams Companies by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,889 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $968,000 after purchasing an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Castleview Partners LLC grew its position in Williams Companies by 4.2% in the first quarter. Castleview Partners LLC now owns 4,492 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $268,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its position in shares of Williams Companies by 20.3% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,095 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $65,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Napa Wealth Management lifted its holdings in Williams Companies by 2.7% in the 4th quarter. Napa Wealth Management now owns 7,190 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $389,000 after buying an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mirador Capital Partners LP boosted its position in Williams Companies by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP now owns 16,712 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $999,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on WMB shares. CIBC raised Williams Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and set a $64.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Williams Companies from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Cibc World Mkts raised shares of Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Monday, July 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $67.00 price objective for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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 on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.62, for a total value of $115,240.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 311,645 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,956,984.90. This trade represents a 0.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,500 shares of company stock worth $623,115 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMB traded down $0.49 on Friday, reaching $58.84. 5,630,379 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,573,647. The business's 50-day moving average is $58.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.41. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. Williams Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $44.51 and a fifty-two week high of $63.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.57, a PEG ratio of 1.98 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 business had revenue of $2.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.43 EPS. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 12th. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 100.50%.

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.