Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) is Westwood Holdings Group Inc.'s 2nd Largest Position

Key Points

• Westwood Holdings Group Inc. has reduced its stake in Williams Companies by 3.2% during the first quarter, now owning approximately 4,069,702 shares valued at $243,205,000.
• Blackstone Inc. significantly increased its stake by 36.5% in the fourth quarter, now holding 18,954,088 shares valued at over $1 billion.
• Williams Companies declared a $0.50 quarterly dividend, representing a 3.3% yield, despite a payout ratio of 106.95%.

Westwood Holdings Group Inc. decreased its holdings in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 3.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 4,069,702 shares of the pipeline company's stock after selling 135,722 shares during the quarter. Williams Companies accounts for about 1.8% of Westwood Holdings Group Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 2nd biggest position. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. owned 0.33% of Williams Companies worth $243,205,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WMB. Menard Financial Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted 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 valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 494 shares during the period. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 86.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently issued reports on WMB shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Williams Companies from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. TD Cowen started coverage on Williams Companies in a report on Monday, July 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $67.00 price target for the company. Wolfe Research upgraded Williams Companies from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Friday, June 13th. Scotiabank boosted their price target on Williams Companies from $59.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $63.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $61.77.

Williams Companies Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of WMB traded down $0.75 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $57.89. 7,541,097 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,024,555. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $42.79 and a 1 year high of $63.45. The firm's fifty day moving average is $59.37 and its 200-day moving average is $58.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.66.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 4th. The pipeline company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.43 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 12th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.5%. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 100.50%.

Insider Transactions at Williams Companies

In related news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 313,645 shares in the company, valued at $18,718,333.60. This trade represents a 0.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.44% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.