National Bank of Canada FI Cuts Holdings in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB)

Key Points

• National Bank of Canada FI reduced its holdings in Williams Companies by 8.6%, selling 146,884 shares, resulting in ownership of approximately 1.57 million shares, valued at $93.67 million.
• Williams Companies reported earnings of $0.46 per share for the last quarter, missing estimates, and generated $2.78 billion in revenue, below expectations of $2.90 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, with a payout ratio of 100.50% and an annualized yield of 3.5%.

National Bank of Canada FI trimmed its holdings in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 8.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,567,474 shares of the pipeline company's stock after selling 146,884 shares during the quarter. National Bank of Canada FI owned 0.13% of Williams Companies worth $93,666,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of WMB. Menard Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter valued at $26,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC grew its position 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 valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 494 shares in the last quarter. Abound Financial LLC bought a new stake in Williams Companies during the first quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Williams Companies during the first quarter valued at $32,000. 86.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Williams Companies

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $59.68, for a total value of $119,360.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 313,645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,718,333.60. This represents a 0.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMB remained flat at $57.89 during midday trading on Friday. The stock had a trading volume of 5,384,629 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,923,967. 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 firm has a market cap of $70.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.66. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $42.79 and a 52-week high of $63.45. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.25.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 4th. The pipeline company reported $0.46 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 return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 21.63%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.43 earnings per share. Research analysts expect that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 12th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 12th. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 100.50%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMB has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Wall Street Zen lowered Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Williams Companies from $59.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wolfe Research upgraded 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 issued a $63.00 price objective on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, TD Cowen began coverage on Williams Companies in a report on Monday, July 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $67.00 price objective on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams Companies presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $62.00.

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.