Voya Investment Management LLC Acquires 1,914,730 Shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• Voya Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Williams Companies, Inc. by 275.7% in the first quarter, acquiring an additional 1,914,730 shares and owning a total of 2,609,318 shares valued at approximately $155.93 million.
• Analysts have mixed ratings for Williams Companies, with Wells Fargo raising the price target to $70.00 and Wall Street Zen downgrading it to a "sell" rating; the consensus rating is a "Moderate Buy".
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share to be paid on September 29th, reflecting a 3.4% yield and a dividend payout ratio of 100.50%.

Voya Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 275.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 2,609,318 shares of the pipeline company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,914,730 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.21% of Williams Companies worth $155,933,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Flaharty Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $25,000. Menard Financial Group LLC bought a new position in Williams Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in Williams Companies during the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, 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 worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of Williams Companies stock traded down $0.49 on Friday, reaching $58.84. 5,630,379 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,478,224. 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 $71.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.65. The firm's 50-day moving average is $58.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $58.44. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $44.51 and a 52 week high of $63.45.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last announced 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). The business had revenue of $2.78 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. Williams Companies had a net margin of 21.63% and a return on equity of 16.23%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 19.0% compared to the same quarter last year. 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. Sell-side analysts predict that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 12th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 12th. Williams Companies's payout ratio is presently 100.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 77,612 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,537,973.64. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 311,645 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $17,956,984.90. This represents a 0.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 10,500 shares of company stock valued at $623,115 over the last ninety days. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. CIBC raised Williams Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and set a $64.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Friday, August 15th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $63.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Cibc World Mkts upgraded shares of Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Monday, July 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $67.00 target price for the company. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and five have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Williams Companies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $62.86.

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.