Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Acquires 61,857 Shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB)

Key Points

• Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in Williams Companies by 0.8%, owning 7,467,808 shares worth approximately $446.28 million as of its latest SEC filing.
• Williams Companies declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, to be paid on September 29th, representing an annualized dividend of $2.00 and a yield of 3.5%.
• Analysts have set a consensus target price of $61.77 for Williams Companies, with a mix of ratings including six hold and eight buy recommendations.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 0.8% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 7,467,808 shares of the pipeline company's stock after acquiring an additional 61,857 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned approximately 0.61% of Williams Companies worth $446,276,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Menard Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of 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 worth $30,000 after buying an additional 494 shares during the period. Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the first quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Williams Companies during the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

WMB stock remained flat at $57.89 during trading hours on Friday. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,384,629 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,032,047. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 0.54 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The firm has a market cap of $70.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $59.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $58.26. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $42.79 and a 1 year high of $63.45.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The pipeline company reported $0.46 EPS 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 company had revenue of $2.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.43 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on WMB. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $63.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Williams Companies in a report on Monday, July 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $67.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Williams Companies from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Scotiabank increased their target price on Williams Companies from $59.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised Williams Companies from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Friday, June 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $62.00.

Insider Activity at Williams Companies

In related news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.68, for a total value of $119,360.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 313,645 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,718,333.60. This trade represents a 0.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies 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.