Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB Stock Position Lowered by OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp

Key Points

• OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp reduced its stake in Williams Companies by 16.4%, resulting in ownership of 43,827 shares valued at approximately $2.62 million.
• Insider selling activity was noted with COO Larry C. Larsen selling 4,500 shares for around $263,115, representing a 5.48% decrease in his holdings.
• Research analysts have provided a mixed outlook on Williams Companies, with ratings ranging from Strong Buy to Sell, and a consensus price target of $62.86.

OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp lessened its position in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 16.4% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 43,827 shares of the pipeline company's stock after selling 8,599 shares during the quarter. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp's holdings in Williams Companies were worth $2,619,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of WMB. Truvestments Capital LLC grew its position in shares of Williams Companies by 858.6% during the first quarter. Truvestments Capital LLC now owns 1,064 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $64,000 after buying an additional 953 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG raised its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 6.6% in the 1st quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG now owns 110,324 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $6,593,000 after purchasing an additional 6,791 shares in the last quarter. Transamerica Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 1st quarter worth $4,513,000. Ieq Capital LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 16.9% during the first quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 63,461 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $3,792,000 after purchasing an additional 9,154 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadcap Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the first quarter worth $220,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams Companies Stock Down 1.0%

Shares of WMB stock traded down $0.56 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $57.32. The company had a trading volume of 7,832,220 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,654,961. Williams Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $43.98 and a twelve month high of $63.45. 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 company has a market capitalization of $69.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.65. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $58.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.40.

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 for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $2.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. Williams Companies had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 16.23%. Williams Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 19.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.43 EPS. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Cibc World Mkts upgraded Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Argus restated a "buy" rating and set a $66.00 price objective on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. CIBC upgraded shares of Williams Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and set a $64.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $62.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of the company'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 transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 77,612 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,537,973.64. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 directly owned 313,645 shares in the company, valued at $18,718,333.60. This represents a 0.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 8,500 shares of company stock worth $507,875. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.