iA Global Asset Management Inc. Grows Stock Position in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• iA Global Asset Management dramatically increased its stake in Williams Companies, boosting holdings by 4,294.9% in the first quarter to 162,170 shares worth about $11.8 million.
• Williams Companies continues to attract strong institutional interest, with hedge funds and other investors owning 86.44% of the stock; several large firms also increased or initiated positions recently.
• Analysts remain broadly bullish on WMB, with an average Buy rating and a consensus price target of $82.40, though near-term sentiment is mixed due to concerns about weaker Q2 results and possible acquisition-related leverage.

iA Global Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 4,294.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 162,170 shares of the pipeline company's stock after buying an additional 158,480 shares during the quarter. iA Global Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $11,803,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Williams Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $747,749,000. BROOKFIELD Corp ON boosted its position in Williams Companies by 190.3% in the 2nd quarter. BROOKFIELD Corp ON now owns 12,028,186 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $755,490,000 after purchasing an additional 7,884,730 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 15.9% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 48,586,299 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $3,077,942,000 after purchasing an additional 6,668,950 shares during the period. Clearbridge Investments LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 21.3% during the 4th quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 21,325,482 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $1,281,875,000 after purchasing an additional 3,748,126 shares during the period. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 4,992.2% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 3,704,739 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $222,692,000 after purchasing an additional 3,631,986 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.44% of the company's stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Williams Companies

Here are the key news stories impacting Williams Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: The rumored Momentum Midstream acquisition could expand Williams’ natural gas and LNG-related pipeline network, strengthening its position in key U.S. export corridors and supporting longer-term growth. Williams Nears $5.5 Billion Momentum Midstream Acquisition
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts and market commentary continue to frame Williams as a major midstream operator with solid long-term infrastructure exposure, and recent analyst targets remain above the current share price range. Williams Eyes LNG Growth With Potential $5.5B Momentum Midstream Deal
• Negative Sentiment: UBS says Williams is likely to report weaker Q2 results as the benefit from unusually cold winter weather fades, which could temper near-term earnings expectations. Williams Expected to Post Lower Q2 Results as Winter Boost Recedes, UBS Says
• Negative Sentiment: Some investors appear worried that a large acquisition could increase financing needs and leverage, and unusual put-option activity suggests rising caution around the stock. Williams Companies Slides as Investors Weigh Reported Momentum Midstream Deal

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on WMB shares. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $90.00 to $98.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $82.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, TD Cowen increased their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $81.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fourteen have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $82.40.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMB opened at $74.39 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.76. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $55.82 and a 1 year high of $80.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $90.87 billion, a PE ratio of 32.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 0.58. The business's 50 day moving average price is $73.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $70.03.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The pipeline company reported $0.73 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.10. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 18.34% and a net margin of 23.39%.The firm had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.28 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.60 EPS. The firm'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. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 12th were issued a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 12th. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.8%. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 92.11%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams Companies

In other news, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 12,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.48, for a total transaction of $917,760.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 98,219 shares in the company, valued at $7,511,789.12. The trade was a 10.89% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Glen G. Jasek sold 2,500 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.15, for a total value of $195,375.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 54,101 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,227,993.15. The trade was a 4.42% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 66,500 shares of company stock valued at $5,034,335. Company insiders own 0.47% of the company's stock.

About Williams Companies

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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