Phoenix Financial Ltd. Acquires 23,273 Shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• Phoenix Financial Ltd. increased its stake in Williams Companies by 50.8%, acquiring 23,273 additional shares, bringing its total holdings to 69,079 shares valued at approximately $4.34 million.
• Analysts have provided a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Williams Companies, with a target price averaging around $66.73, and notable price targets from firms like UBS Group raising theirs to $78.00.
• Williams Companies announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50, with a current dividend yield of 3.2% and a payout ratio of 100.5%.

Phoenix Financial Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 50.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 69,079 shares of the pipeline company's stock after acquiring an additional 23,273 shares during the quarter. Phoenix Financial Ltd.'s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $4,339,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Flaharty Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the first quarter worth $25,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC grew its holdings in Williams Companies by 104.8% during the 2nd quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 469 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the period. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the 1st quarter worth about $29,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake 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 period. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMB has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Williams Companies in a research note on Monday, July 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. BMO Capital Markets started coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Friday, September 19th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $66.00 price objective on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price target on Williams Companies from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, September 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $66.73.

Insider Transactions at Williams Companies

In related news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.62, for a total transaction 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. The trade was a 0.64% 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 this link. Also, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,537,973.64. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 8,500 shares of company stock worth $497,715 over the last three months. 0.44% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

Shares of WMB opened at $62.32 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $75.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.65. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $51.46 and a 52 week high of $65.55. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $60.14 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.54.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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). Williams Companies had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The company had revenue of $2.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.43 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

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

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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