Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Invests $274,000 in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. has invested approximately $274,000 in Williams Companies, Inc. by acquiring 4,593 shares during the first quarter.
• Wall Street analysts remain optimistic about the company, with an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a price target of $62.86.
• Williams Companies has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, representing a 3.5% yield, with a payout ratio of 100.50%.

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 4,593 shares of the pipeline company's stock, valued at approximately $274,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. MUFG Securities EMEA plc acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the first quarter worth about $1,016,000. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired a new stake in Williams Companies in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $5,446,000. Townsquare Capital LLC raised its position in Williams Companies by 24.5% in the 1st quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 238,925 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $14,278,000 after buying an additional 46,946 shares during the last quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC raised its position in Williams Companies by 6.8% in the 1st quarter. Founders Financial Alliance LLC now owns 11,624 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $695,000 after buying an additional 737 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keystone Investors PTE Ltd. acquired a new stake in Williams Companies in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,502,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Williams Companies in a research report on Monday, July 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $67.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. Barclays boosted their price target on Williams Companies from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Scotiabank boosted their price target 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. Finally, Cibc World Mkts raised Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $62.86.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

WMB opened at $57.1630 on Thursday. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $58.86 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.29. The company has a market capitalization of $69.70 billion, a PE ratio of 28.73, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.66. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $43.98 and a 1 year high of $63.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 0.54 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The pipeline company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) 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 net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 19.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.43 earnings per share. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. Research analysts expect that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th will be paid 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 100.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams Companies

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 313,645 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,718,333.60. The trade was a 0.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 77,612 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,537,973.64. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 8,500 shares of company stock valued at $507,875 over the last 90 days. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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