Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Grows Position in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• The Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its stake in Williams Companies, Inc. by 33.0%, owning 533,268 shares valued at approximately $33.5 million.
• Williams Companies reported its quarterly earnings, with EPS of $0.46, missing expectations, and anticipates FY 2025 EPS guidance between 2.010-2.190.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, representing an annualized yield of 3.2%, with a payout ratio of 100.50%.

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio raised its holdings in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 33.0% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 533,268 shares of the pipeline company's stock after purchasing an additional 132,207 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings in Williams Companies were worth $33,495,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WMB. Flaharty Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter worth about $25,000. Menard Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter worth about $26,000. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings 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 worth $30,000 after buying an additional 494 shares in the last quarter. 86.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams Companies Stock Up 2.3%

Shares of NYSE WMB opened at $62.83 on Thursday. Williams Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $44.56 and a one year high of $63.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 0.54 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $58.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $58.61. The stock has a market capitalization of $76.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.57, a PEG ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 0.65.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The pipeline company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49 by ($0.03). Williams Companies had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The business had revenue of $2.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.43 earnings per share. The firm's 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. As a group, analysts expect that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Williams Companies

In other news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.62, for a total value of $115,240.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 311,645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,956,984.90. This trade represents a 0.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of the firm'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 owned 77,612 shares in the company, valued at $4,537,973.64. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 10,500 shares of company stock worth $623,115 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WMB shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Monday, July 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $67.00 price objective on the stock. CIBC upgraded shares of Williams Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and set a $64.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $63.00 price objective on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Argus restated a "buy" rating and issued a $66.00 price objective on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $63.07.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WMB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.