The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Decreases Stake in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company has reduced its stake in Williams Companies by 17.4%, selling over 210,000 shares, and now holds approximately 0.08% of the company valued at about $59.8 million.
• Williams Companies reported a quarterly earnings miss with earnings of $0.46 per share, below the expected $0.49, and revenues of $2.78 billion versus the forecasted $2.90 billion.
• The company has announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 to be paid on September 29th, reflecting an annualized dividend of $2.00 and a yield of 3.5%.

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its holdings in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 17.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,001,265 shares of the pipeline company's stock after selling 210,269 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.08% of Williams Companies worth $59,836,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Menard Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Williams Companies by 4,490.9% during the first quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 505 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the first quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the first quarter worth about $32,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams Companies Price Performance

Shares of WMB opened at $57.88 on Friday. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $43.98 and a 1-year high of $63.45. The stock has a market cap of $70.58 billion, a PE ratio of 29.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $58.58 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $58.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 0.54 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last announced 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 during 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%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.43 EPS. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Investors 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.5%. Williams Companies's payout ratio is 100.50%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on WMB. Cibc World Mkts upgraded shares of Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Barclays lifted 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 report on Thursday, August 14th. Argus reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $66.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, 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 price target for the company. One research 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 company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Williams Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $62.86.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.47, for a total value of $263,115.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 77,612 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,537,973.64. The trade was a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.68, for a total transaction of $119,360.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 313,645 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,718,333.60. This trade represents a 0.63% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 8,500 shares of company stock valued at $507,875 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

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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