Franklin Resources Inc. Sells 370,469 Shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• Franklin Resources cut its stake in Williams Companies by 19.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 370,469 shares and leaving it with 1,543,567 shares valued at about $92.8 million.
• Williams Companies reported better-than-expected earnings of $0.73 per share for the quarter, though revenue of $3.03 billion came in below analyst estimates. The company also guided FY 2026 EPS to 2.20-2.38.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.525 per share, implying an annualized yield of 2.9%, while analysts remain broadly positive with an average Buy rating and a $82.40 price target.

Franklin Resources Inc. reduced its position in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 19.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,543,567 shares of the pipeline company's stock after selling 370,469 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned about 0.13% of Williams Companies worth $92,784,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Towne Trust Company N.A boosted its position in shares of Williams Companies by 60.2% during the 4th quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 431 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams Companies by 62.2% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 485 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. boosted its position in shares of Williams Companies by 216.8% during the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 491 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 336 shares during the last quarter. WHI TRUST Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Entrust Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Payvand Fazel sold 2,898 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.15, for a total value of $211,988.70. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 31,766 shares in the company, valued at $2,323,682.90. This trade represents a 8.36% 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 12,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.48, for a total value of $917,760.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 98,219 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,511,789.12. The trade was a 10.89% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 71,398 shares of company stock valued at $5,389,824. Insiders own 0.47% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

WMB stock opened at $72.34 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $73.46 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $68.75. Williams Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $55.82 and a twelve month high of $80.07. The firm has a market cap of $88.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.73, a PEG ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 0.58.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The pipeline company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.63 by $0.10. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 18.34% and a net margin of 23.39%.The business had revenue of $3.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.28 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.60 earnings per share. The business's revenue was down .6% compared to the same quarter last year. Williams Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.200-2.380 EPS. Analysts predict that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 12th will be paid a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 12th. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 92.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Wolfe Research upgraded Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. UBS Group increased their price target on Williams Companies from $89.00 to $91.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce increased their price target on Williams Companies from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "outperformer" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Friday, March 27th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Williams Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $82.00 price target on the stock in a report on Monday, April 20th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $82.40.

Williams Companies Profile

Williams Companies, Inc NYSE: WMB is a U.S.-based energy infrastructure company focused on the midstream segment of the natural gas value chain. The company develops, owns and operates assets that gather, process, transport and store natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs). Its operations support the movement of gas from production areas to end users including utilities, power generators, industrial customers and export facilities.

Williams’s product and service offering includes interstate and intrastate pipeline transmission, gas-gathering systems, processing facilities that remove impurities and separate NGLs, storage services and fractionation and transportation of NGL products.

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