Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) Shares Acquired by Deutsche Bank AG

Key Points

• Deutsche Bank AG increased its holdings in Williams Companies by 5.6%, acquiring an additional 932,998 shares in the 1st quarter, bringing its total ownership to approximately 17,520,491 shares valued at over $1 billion.
• Williams Companies reported $0.46 EPS for the last quarter, missing estimates by $0.03, with revenue of $2.78 billion, which also fell short of expectations.
• The firm declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50, representing a 3.4% yield, with an annualized payout of $2.00, despite a high payout ratio of 106.95%.

Deutsche Bank AG boosted its holdings in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 5.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 17,520,491 shares of the pipeline company's stock after acquiring an additional 932,998 shares during the quarter. Deutsche Bank AG owned 1.44% of Williams Companies worth $1,047,025,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 17,889 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $968,000 after acquiring an additional 183 shares in the last quarter. Castleview Partners LLC increased its position in Williams Companies by 4.2% during the first quarter. Castleview Partners LLC now owns 4,492 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $268,000 after buying an additional 183 shares during the last quarter. Napa Wealth Management raised its holdings in Williams Companies by 2.7% during the fourth quarter. Napa Wealth Management now owns 7,190 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $389,000 after buying an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP lifted its position in shares of Williams Companies by 1.2% in the first quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP now owns 16,712 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $999,000 after buying an additional 196 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Perkins Coie Trust Co boosted its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 13.3% during the 1st quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 1,700 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $102,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Stock Down 0.6%

NYSE WMB opened at $58.66 on Thursday. Williams Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $42.79 and a twelve month high of $63.45. The stock has a market cap of $71.52 billion, a PE ratio of 29.47, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.66. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $59.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $58.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.54.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 4th. The pipeline company reported $0.46 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 firm had revenue of $2.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.43 EPS. Williams Companies's revenue was up 19.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 12th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 12th. Williams Companies's payout ratio is 106.95%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 313,645 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $18,718,333.60. This trade represents a 0.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

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.

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