Vanguard Group Inc. Purchases 807,019 Shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB)

Key Points

• Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Williams Companies, acquiring an additional 807,019 shares, resulting in total ownership of approximately 10.76% of the company valued at about $7.84 billion.
• Williams Companies reported earnings per share of $0.46, falling short of analysts' expectations, and its quarterly revenue was 19% higher year-over-year, despite missing targets at $2.78 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, payable on September 29th, representing a 3.4% yield based on current prices.

Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 0.6% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 131,163,184 shares of the pipeline company's stock after purchasing an additional 807,019 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned 10.76% of Williams Companies worth $7,838,312,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in Williams Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Menard Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Williams Companies during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings 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 buying an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $32,000. 86.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 313,645 shares of the company's stock, valued at $18,718,333.60. The trade was a 0.63% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

Williams Companies stock remained flat at $57.89 during midday trading on Friday. 5,384,629 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,032,047. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $42.79 and a 52 week high of $63.45. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $59.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $58.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.54. The stock has a market cap of $70.59 billion, a PE ratio of 29.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.66.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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). The firm had revenue of $2.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations 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 was up 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.43 EPS. On average, equities research 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. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 12th. Williams Companies's payout ratio is presently 100.50%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently issued reports on WMB shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Williams Companies from $67.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday. TD Cowen initiated coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Monday, July 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $67.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $63.00 price objective on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wolfe Research upgraded Williams Companies from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Friday, June 13th. Finally, Scotiabank increased their target price on Williams Companies from $59.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $62.00.

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.