Mercuria Capital Strategies LLC Takes Position in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• Mercuria Capital Strategies LLC acquired a new position in Williams Companies, purchasing 500,000 shares valued at approximately $31.4 million, making it the firm's third-largest holding.
• Several brokerages have recently increased their target prices for Williams Companies stock, with Goldman Sachs raising it from $59.00 to $65.00 while maintaining a "neutral" rating.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, which reflects an annualized yield of 3.2% and a payout ratio of 100.50%.

Mercuria Capital Strategies LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 500,000 shares of the pipeline company's stock, valued at approximately $31,405,000. Williams Companies makes up about 8.4% of Mercuria Capital Strategies LLC's holdings, making the stock its 3rd largest position.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. US Bancorp DE lifted its holdings in Williams Companies by 1.0% in the 2nd quarter. US Bancorp DE now owns 388,328 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $24,391,000 after purchasing an additional 3,842 shares in the last quarter. Columbus Macro LLC lifted its holdings in Williams Companies by 11.9% in the 2nd quarter. Columbus Macro LLC now owns 155,655 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $9,777,000 after purchasing an additional 16,512 shares in the last quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its holdings in Williams Companies by 6.3% in the 2nd quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 1,159,547 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $72,831,000 after purchasing an additional 68,855 shares in the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. lifted its holdings in Williams Companies by 3.8% in the 2nd quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 6,435 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $404,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Joel Isaacson & Co. LLC purchased a new position in Williams Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $202,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WMB. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Williams Companies from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Scotiabank raised their target price on Williams Companies from $59.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. TD Cowen began coverage on Williams Companies in a research note on Monday, July 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $67.00 target price for the company. UBS Group raised their target price on Williams Companies from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Cibc World Mkts raised Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. One research 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 MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $65.53.

Insider Activity at Williams Companies

In related news, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.47, for a total transaction of $263,115.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer owned 77,612 shares in the company, valued at $4,537,973.64. The trade was a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of Williams Companies 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 transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 311,645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,956,984.90. This trade represents a 0.64% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 8,500 shares of company stock valued at $497,715. 0.44% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

Shares of WMB opened at $63.49 on Thursday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $59.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $77.42 billion, a PE ratio of 31.90, a PEG ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.65. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $48.71 and a 1 year high of $65.55.

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

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 29th. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 12th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.2%. Williams Companies's payout ratio is presently 100.50%.

Williams Companies Company 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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