Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan Has $2.18 Million Stock Holdings in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan boosted its holdings in Williams Companies, Inc. by 60.7% in the first quarter, acquiring 13,769 shares and holding a total of 36,438 shares valued at approximately $2.18 million.
• Several hedge funds also increased their stakes, with 86.44% of the stock currently owned by institutional investors, reflecting strong interest in Williams Companies.
• Williams Companies announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, with a payout ratio of 100.50%, scheduled for payment on September 29th.

Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan boosted its stake in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 60.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 36,438 shares of the pipeline company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,769 shares during the quarter. Williams Companies comprises about 1.0% of Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan's investment portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest holding. Canada Post Corp Registered Pension Plan's holdings in Williams Companies were worth $2,178,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMB. Menard Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Williams Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in Williams Companies in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in Williams Companies in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Williams Companies by 4,490.9% in the first quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 505 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abound Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 86.44% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams Companies news, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 311,645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,956,984.90. This trade represents a 0.64% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 10,500 shares of company stock worth $623,115. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Stock Down 0.8%

NYSE WMB traded down $0.49 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $58.84. 5,630,379 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,573,647. The stock has a market capitalization of $71.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 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. Williams Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $44.51 and a twelve month high of $63.45. The business's 50-day moving average is $58.05 and its 200-day moving average is $58.41.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last announced 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 for 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%.Williams Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.43 EPS. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current 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 paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 12th. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 100.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on WMB shares. Cibc World Mkts upgraded Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Scotiabank upped their price objective on Williams Companies from $59.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen cut Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. TD Cowen began coverage on Williams Companies in a research report on Monday, July 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $67.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wolfe Research raised Williams Companies from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Friday, June 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.