KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Buys 16,800 Shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS increased its stake in Williams Companies by acquiring 16,800 shares, bringing its total holdings to 502,710 shares valued at approximately $31.57 million.
• Williams Companies reported $0.46 earnings per share for the latest quarter, falling short of analysts' expectations of $0.49, while revenue was $2.78 billion compared to the expected $2.90 billion.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, providing shareholders with a yield of 3.1% and reflecting a dividend payout ratio of 100.50%.

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS lifted its holdings in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 3.5% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 502,710 shares of the pipeline company's stock after acquiring an additional 16,800 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS's holdings in Williams Companies were worth $31,575,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WMB. Flaharty Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter worth about $25,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted 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 acquiring an additional 494 shares during the period. Finally, Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 86.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of WMB stock opened at $63.92 on Wednesday. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.51 and a 1 year high of $65.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 0.54 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $59.36 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $59.02. The company has a market cap of $77.94 billion, a PE ratio of 32.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.12 and a beta of 0.65.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 4th. The pipeline company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49 by ($0.03). Williams Companies had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The company had revenue of $2.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.43 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. Research analysts predict that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 12th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 12th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.1%. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio is 100.50%.

Insider Activity at Williams Companies

In other news, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.47, for a total value of $263,115.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 77,612 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,537,973.64. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.62, for a total value of $115,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 311,645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,956,984.90. The trade was a 0.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 8,500 shares of company stock worth $497,715. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wall Street Zen lowered Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on Williams Companies from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Williams Companies from $70.00 to $83.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Cibc World Mkts raised Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Finally, CIBC raised Williams Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and set a $64.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, August 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $65.53.

Williams Companies 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.

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