Aviso Financial Inc. Acquires 7,826 Shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• Aviso Financial Inc. increased its holdings in Williams Companies, Inc. by 8.8%, acquiring an additional 7,826 shares, bringing its total to 96,301 shares valued at $5.76 million.
• Williams Companies reported $0.46 earnings per share, missing estimates of $0.49, while revenues reached $2.78 billion, below the expected $2.90 billion.
• The company announced a $0.50 quarterly dividend to be paid on September 29, reflecting a 3.5% yield based on its current stock price.

Aviso Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 8.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 96,301 shares of the pipeline company's stock after purchasing an additional 7,826 shares during the period. Aviso Financial Inc.'s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $5,755,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd raised its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 1.2% during the 1st quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 577,123 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $34,489,000 after purchasing an additional 6,816 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Williams Companies by 27.5% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 402,967 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $24,081,000 after acquiring an additional 87,031 shares during the last quarter. Kessler Investment Group LLC purchased a new stake in Williams Companies in the 1st quarter worth about $327,000. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. increased its holdings in Williams Companies by 14.0% in the 1st quarter. Hennion & Walsh Asset Management Inc. now owns 85,839 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $5,130,000 after acquiring an additional 10,561 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Good Steward Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Williams Companies in the 1st quarter worth about $977,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Williams Companies

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the business'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 value of $119,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 313,645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,718,333.60. The trade was a 0.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale 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 business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.47, for a total value of $263,115.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 77,612 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,537,973.64. The trade was a 5.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,500 shares of company stock valued at $507,875 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE WMB opened at $57.46 on Monday. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $43.69 and a 12 month high of $63.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.87, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.66. The business has a 50-day moving average of $59.01 and a 200-day moving average of $58.31.

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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 21.63%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 19.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.43 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on WMB shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Williams Companies from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $63.00 price objective on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Barclays lifted their target price on Williams Companies from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday. Argus reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $66.00 target price on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Thursday. Finally, TD Cowen started coverage on Williams Companies in a report on Monday, July 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $67.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $62.86.

About Williams Companies

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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