M.D. Sass LLC Invests $58.59 Million in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB)

Key Points

• M.D. Sass LLC has acquired a new position in Williams Companies, investing approximately $58.59 million to purchase 980,392 shares, making it the firm's 10th largest position.
• Recent hedge fund activities show increased investment interest, including new positions by various firms, with institutional investors now owning 86.44% of the stock.
• Williams Companies reported quarterly earnings with an EPS of $0.60, surpassing estimates, along with a dividend of $0.50 scheduled for payment, reflecting a 3.3% dividend yield.

M.D. Sass LLC purchased a new position in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 980,392 shares of the pipeline company's stock, valued at approximately $58,588,000. Williams Companies comprises 5.2% of M.D. Sass LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest position. M.D. Sass LLC owned about 0.08% of Williams Companies at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMB. Menard Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in 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 worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 494 shares in the last quarter. Abound Financial LLC bought a new position in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Williams Companies

In related news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.70, for a total value of $125,400.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 315,645 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,790,941.50. This trade represents a 0.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.44% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Williams Companies stock opened at $60.27 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $73.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.23, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.40 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $59.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.29. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $40.41 and a 52 week high of $63.45.

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

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 12th. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 106.95%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMB has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Monday, July 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $67.00 target price on the stock. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Williams Companies from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Friday, June 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $63.00 target price on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $59.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams Companies has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $61.77.

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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