DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale Raises Holdings in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale increased its stake in Williams Companies by 16.2%, acquiring 255,493 shares valued at approximately $16.2 million.
• Analysts remain optimistic, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $66.73 for Williams Companies' stock.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, yielding 3.2%, while its dividend payout ratio currently sits at 100.50%.

DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its holdings in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 16.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 255,493 shares of the pipeline company's stock after purchasing an additional 35,541 shares during the period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale's holdings in Williams Companies were worth $16,166,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Flaharty Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 104.8% during the 2nd quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 469 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the period. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 4,490.9% during the 1st quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 505 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 494 shares during the period. Finally, Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on WMB shares. UBS Group increased their price target on Williams Companies from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. Zacks Research cut Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Friday, October 17th. Barclays raised their target price on Williams Companies from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, October 14th. Jefferies Financial Group started coverage on Williams Companies in a report on Thursday, October 9th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $72.00 target price on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Williams Companies from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams Companies has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.73.

Williams Companies Price Performance

NYSE:WMB opened at $62.23 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $60.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $59.27. The stock has a market cap of $75.88 billion, a PE ratio of 31.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.08 and a beta of 0.65. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $51.46 and a 52 week high of $65.55.

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). The business had revenue of $2.78 billion for 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%. Williams Companies's revenue was up 19.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.43 earnings per share. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 12th were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 12th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.2%. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 100.50%.

Insider Transactions at Williams Companies

In other Williams Companies news, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.47, for a total transaction of $263,115.00. Following the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.62, for a total value of $115,240.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 311,645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,956,984.90. This represents a 0.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 8,500 shares of company stock worth $497,715. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.