Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC Buys 175,830 Shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Williams Companies by 33.4%, owning 702,210 shares worth approximately $41.96 million at the end of the last quarter.
• Williams Companies reported an EPS of $0.46 for the quarter, missing estimates, with revenues of $2.78 billion, also below expectations.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50, reflecting a yield of 3.5%, though its payout ratio stands at 100.50%.

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 33.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 702,210 shares of the pipeline company's stock after purchasing an additional 175,830 shares during the period. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Williams Companies worth $41,964,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Menard Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Williams Companies by 4,490.9% in the 1st 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. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Williams Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams Companies Price Performance

Williams Companies stock traded down $0.92 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $56.54. The stock had a trading volume of 5,812,796 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,021,415. The firm has a market capitalization of $68.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.41, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.66. 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's 50 day moving average is $59.01 and its 200 day moving average is $58.31. Williams Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $43.96 and a one year high of $63.45.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The pipeline company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 company's quarterly revenue was up 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.43 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 12th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 100.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams Companies

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 313,645 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,718,333.60. This represents a 0.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 $4,537,973.64. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 8,500 shares of company stock valued at $507,875 in the last ninety days. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $63.00 target price on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $59.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Cibc World Mkts upgraded shares of Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday. CIBC upgraded shares of Williams Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and set a $64.00 target price for the company in a research note on Friday. Finally, Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams Companies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $62.86.

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.