Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) Stock Position Lifted by Clean Energy Transition LLP

Key Points

• Clean Energy Transition LLP increased its stake in Williams Companies by 61.5% in Q1, owning approximately 1,017,483 shares valued at $60.81 million, making it the company's 5th biggest holding.
• The Williams Companies reported Q2 earnings of $0.46 per share, missing expectations, and had a revenue of $2.78 billion, which was also below the $2.90 billion forecast.
• The company's quarterly dividend of $0.50 will be paid on September 29th, representing an annualized yield of 3.5% and a payout ratio of 100.5%.

Clean Energy Transition LLP lifted its holdings in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 61.5% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,017,483 shares of the pipeline company's stock after purchasing an additional 387,373 shares during the period. Williams Companies accounts for about 7.5% of Clean Energy Transition LLP's portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Clean Energy Transition LLP owned 0.08% of Williams Companies worth $60,805,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Menard Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter worth approximately $32,000. 86.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on WMB. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Williams Companies in a research note on Monday, July 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $67.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Williams Companies from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday. Scotiabank raised their target price on Williams Companies from $59.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen lowered Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $63.00 target price on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams Companies presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $62.00.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

NYSE WMB traded down $0.27 on Tuesday, hitting $57.79. 6,564,599 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,905,185. The business's fifty day moving average is $59.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.24. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $42.79 and a 12 month high of $63.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.04, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.66. 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 (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last posted 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 period in the previous year, the business earned $0.43 earnings per share. Williams Companies's revenue was up 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. 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 (DPR) 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 firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.68, for a total transaction of $119,360.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 313,645 shares in the company, 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 document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.47, for a total value of $263,115.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 77,612 shares in the company, 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 have sold 8,500 shares of company stock valued at $507,875 in the last three months. 0.44% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.