ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. lowered its stake in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 4.3% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 339,748 shares of the pipeline company's stock after selling 15,371 shares during the period. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.'s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $21,338,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.
A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Williams Companies by 0.6% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 131,163,184 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $7,838,312,000 after buying an additional 807,019 shares during the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Williams Companies by 6.0% in the first quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 29,624,104 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $1,770,336,000 after purchasing an additional 1,680,477 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG raised its position in Williams Companies by 5.6% in the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 17,520,491 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $1,047,025,000 after purchasing an additional 932,998 shares in the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp raised its position in Williams Companies by 0.4% in the first quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 15,291,842 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $913,840,000 after purchasing an additional 54,902 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its position in Williams Companies by 45.0% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 11,339,078 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $677,623,000 after purchasing an additional 3,519,370 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.44% of the company's stock.
Williams Companies Price Performance
Shares of WMB stock opened at $63.68 on Thursday. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $46.53 and a 52-week high of $64.48. The stock has a market cap of $77.65 billion, a PE ratio of 32.00, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.54. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $58.90 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $58.89.
Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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). Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 21.63%.The firm had revenue of $2.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.43 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 19.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current year.
Williams Companies Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 12th were paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 12th. Williams Companies's payout ratio is presently 100.50%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
Several research analysts recently issued reports on WMB shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $63.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Friday, September 19th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $66.00 price target for the company. Argus reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $66.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $59.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $64.00.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on Williams Companies
Insider Buying and Selling at Williams Companies
In other news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.62, for a total transaction of $115,240.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 311,645 shares in the company, valued at $17,956,984.90. The trade was a 0.64% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed 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 dated Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.47, for a total transaction of $263,115.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 77,612 shares in the company, valued at $4,537,973.64. This represents a 5.48% 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 $497,715 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.
About Williams Companies
(
Free Report)
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.
Further Reading

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