Sandler Capital Management Sells 94,224 Shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• Sandler Capital Management reduced its holdings in Williams Companies, Inc. by 49.8%, selling 94,224 shares during the first quarter, which now comprises about 1.4% of their portfolio.
• Williams Companies reported earnings per share of $0.46 for the last quarter, missing estimates by $0.03, while revenue was $2.78 billion, also below expectations.
• The company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, set to be paid on September 29th, with a dividend yield of 3.5%.

Sandler Capital Management cut its holdings in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 49.8% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 94,840 shares of the pipeline company's stock after selling 94,224 shares during the period. Williams Companies accounts for approximately 1.4% of Sandler Capital Management's holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Sandler Capital Management's holdings in Williams Companies were worth $5,668,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMB. Menard Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new position in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Williams Companies by 4,490.9% during 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, Abound Financial LLC acquired a new position in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. TD Cowen assumed coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Monday, July 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $67.00 target price on the stock. Wolfe Research raised Williams Companies from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Friday, June 13th. Argus reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $66.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Cibc World Mkts raised Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $63.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $62.86.

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 transaction of $115,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 311,645 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,956,984.90. This trade represents a 0.64% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 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 transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 77,612 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,537,973.64. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 10,500 shares of company stock valued at $623,115 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Stock Up 1.2%

NYSE WMB traded up $0.70 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $57.55. 4,489,934 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,859,424. The company's 50-day moving average is $58.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.38. Williams Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $43.98 and a one year 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 $70.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.65.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The pipeline company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49 by ($0.03). Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 21.63%.The business had revenue of $2.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.43 earnings per share. Williams Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 19.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 12th. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.