Ausbil Investment Management Ltd Buys 17,939 Shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• Ausbil Investment Management increased its Williams Companies stake by 13.7% in the third quarter, adding 17,939 shares to hold 149,029 shares valued at approximately $10.13 million. Institutional investors collectively own 86.44% of the company.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on WMB, with an average “Buy” rating and a consensus price target of $86.35; recent targets range from $82 to $92.
• Williams reported quarterly revenue of $3.05 billion, up 9.8% year over year, while matching estimates with $0.50 EPS. The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, equivalent to a 2.9% annualized yield.

Ausbil Investment Management Ltd raised its stake in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 13.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 149,029 shares of the pipeline company's stock after acquiring an additional 17,939 shares during the period. Williams Companies accounts for approximately 5.1% of Ausbil Investment Management Ltd's portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest position. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd's holdings in Williams Companies were worth $10,130,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Main Street Group LTD purchased a new position in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC grew its position in shares of Williams Companies by 56.3% during the second quarter. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC now owns 386 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 59.4% in the 1st quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 416 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.44% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams Companies

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Wilson sold 2,000 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.85, for a total value of $135,700.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 262,259 shares in the company, valued at $17,794,273.15. The trade was a 0.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 19,000 shares of company stock worth $1,401,430. 0.47% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on WMB. Capital One Financial assumed coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Tuesday, September 22nd. They set an "overweight" rating and a $92.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Williams Companies from $83.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Barclays started coverage on Williams Companies in a report on Thursday, October 1st. They issued an "overweight" rating and a $82.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 8th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus price target of $86.35.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

Shares of WMB stock opened at $71.47 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83. The company has a market cap of $87.42 billion, a PE ratio of 28.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.64. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $72.22 and its 200-day simple moving average is $73.11. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $56.19 and a 52 week high of $80.07.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The pipeline company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.50. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 25.17%.The business had revenue of $3.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.83 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.46 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Williams Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.350-2.350 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.41 EPS for the current year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th were paid a dividend of $0.5250 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 11th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 83.67%.

About Williams Companies

Williams Companies, Inc is an energy infrastructure company focused primarily on the gathering, processing, storage and transportation of natural gas and natural gas liquids. Through its extensive network of pipelines and related facilities, the company connects major U.S. producing regions with utilities, industrial customers, power generators and other energy markets.

Williams' principal assets include the Transco interstate natural gas pipeline, which serves markets along the U.S. East Coast, as well as gathering and processing operations in regions such as the Appalachian Basin, the Rocky Mountains and the Western United States.

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