Mackenzie Financial Corp Decreases Holdings in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB)

Key Points

• Mackenzie Financial Corp reduced its holdings in Williams Companies by 7.1%, selling 519,073 shares, and now owns 6,820,721 shares valued at approximately $407.6 million.
• Analysts are optimistic about Williams Companies, with multiple firms including TD Cowen and Royal Bank of Canada issuing buy ratings and setting target prices ranging from $60.00 to $67.00.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, equating to an annualized dividend of $2.00, which yields 3.46%, despite a payout ratio of 106.95%.

Mackenzie Financial Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 7.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,820,721 shares of the pipeline company's stock after selling 519,073 shares during the period. Mackenzie Financial Corp owned 0.56% of Williams Companies worth $407,606,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Menard Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Hoey Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 4,490.9% in the 1st quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 505 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. 86.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Wolfe Research raised Williams Companies from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Friday, June 13th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Williams Companies in a report on Monday, July 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $67.00 target price for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $63.00 target price on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Scotiabank boosted their target price on Williams Companies from $59.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Williams Companies from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $61.77.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

NYSE WMB opened at $57.85 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63. The business's 50 day moving average is $59.36 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.22. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $40.41 and a 12-month high of $63.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 30.93, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.65.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The pipeline company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.05. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 15.95% and a net margin of 21.18%. The company had revenue of $3.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.59 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th were given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.46%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 13th. Williams Companies's payout ratio is 106.95%.

Insider Transactions at Williams Companies

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.70, for a total transaction of $125,400.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 315,645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,790,941.50. The trade was a 0.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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.

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