Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co Grows Stake in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co increased its holdings in Williams Companies by 32.2% during Q1, now owning 32,548 shares valued at approximately $1.95 million.
• Williams Companies reported an EPS of $0.46 for the latest quarter, missing estimates by $0.03, with revenue growing 19% year-over-year to $2.78 billion.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50, translating to a 3.5% dividend yield, with a payout ratio of 100.50%.

Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co increased its position in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 32.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 32,548 shares of the pipeline company's stock after buying an additional 7,930 shares during the quarter. Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co's holdings in Williams Companies were worth $1,945,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Menard Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new stake in Williams Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in Williams Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in 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 worth $30,000 after buying an additional 494 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abound Financial LLC bought a new stake in Williams Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 86.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on WMB shares. CIBC raised Williams Companies from a "neutral" rating to a "sector outperform" rating and set a $64.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Cibc World Mkts raised Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $63.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. TD Cowen started coverage on Williams Companies in a research note on Monday, July 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Argus reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $66.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $62.86.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams Companies

In related news, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.47, for a total value of $263,115.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 77,612 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,537,973.64. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.62, for a total value of $115,240.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 311,645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,956,984.90. The trade was a 0.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 10,500 shares of company stock worth $623,115. 0.44% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Williams Companies Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of WMB traded down $0.49 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $58.84. 5,630,379 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,573,647. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $44.51 and a 1 year high of $63.45. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.57, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.65. The business's 50-day moving average price is $58.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $58.41.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 business had revenue of $2.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.90 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.43 earnings per share. Williams Companies's quarterly revenue was up 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 100.50%.

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.