Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB Shares Purchased by Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc.

Key Points

• Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc. significantly increased its stake in Williams Companies by 1,238.3% during the second quarter, acquiring an additional 338,050 shares to reach a total of 365,350 shares.
• Williams Companies reported Q2 earnings of $0.46 per share, missing the consensus estimate of $0.49, with revenue of $2.78 billion against an expectation of $2.90 billion.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, reflecting a dividend yield of 3.2%, with a current payout ratio of 100.50%.

Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc. increased its stake in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 1,238.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 365,350 shares of the pipeline company's stock after purchasing an additional 338,050 shares during the period. Williams Companies accounts for about 3.6% of Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc.'s holdings, making the stock its 6th biggest position. Adams Natural Resources Fund Inc.'s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $22,948,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of WMB. Chapin Davis Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Chapin Davis Inc. now owns 10,955 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $688,000 after purchasing an additional 170 shares during the period. Wallace Advisory Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Wallace Advisory Group LLC now owns 7,031 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $420,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 8,177 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $514,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the period. TrueWealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. TrueWealth Advisors LLC now owns 24,823 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $1,559,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the period. Finally, Chesley Taft & Associates LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Chesley Taft & Associates LLC now owns 10,221 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $642,000 after purchasing an additional 184 shares during the period. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams Companies Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of NYSE WMB opened at $62.32 on Wednesday. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $51.46 and a 12-month high of $65.55. The company has a market cap of $75.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $60.14 and a 200 day moving average price of $59.25.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The pipeline company reported $0.46 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $2.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.43 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 12th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 12th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 100.50%.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.47, for a total transaction of $263,115.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 77,612 shares in the company, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 owned 311,645 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 8,500 shares of company stock valued at $497,715 over the last 90 days. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on WMB shares. UBS Group increased their target price on Williams Companies from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. CIBC raised Williams Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and set a $64.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Zacks Research lowered Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Argus reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $66.00 target price on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Williams Companies from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.73.

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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