Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI Makes New Investment in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI has made a significant new investment of approximately $22.75 million by purchasing 380,761 shares in Williams Companies, Inc., boosting its stake in the pipeline firm.
• Institutional investors now own 86.44% of Williams Companies' stock, with notable increases in holdings by various firms, including Empowered Funds LLC's 327.3% increase.
• Williams Companies announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, representing a 3.5% dividend yield, scheduled for payment on September 29th to shareholders of record from September 12th.

Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 380,761 shares of the pipeline company's stock, valued at approximately $22,754,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Castleview Partners LLC boosted 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 purchasing an additional 183 shares during the period. Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 20.3% in the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,095 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 185 shares in the last quarter. Napa Wealth Management raised its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 2.7% in the fourth quarter. Napa Wealth Management now owns 7,190 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $389,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Mirador Capital Partners LP raised its stake 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 valued at $999,000 after purchasing an additional 196 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Perkins Coie Trust Co raised its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 13.3% in the first quarter. Perkins Coie Trust Co now owns 1,700 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $102,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Price Performance

WMB traded down $0.49 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $58.84. The company had a trading volume of 5,630,379 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,573,647. 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 PE ratio of 29.57, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 0.65. Williams Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $44.51 and a twelve month high of $63.45. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $58.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $58.41.

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). The firm had revenue of $2.78 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 21.63%.Williams Companies's revenue for the quarter was up 19.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.43 earnings per share. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Williams Companies

In related news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction dated 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 $17,956,984.90. This trade represents a 0.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 value of $263,115.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 77,612 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,537,973.64. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 10,500 shares of company stock valued at $623,115. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on WMB. Wall Street Zen lowered Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Argus reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $66.00 price objective on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Wolfe Research upgraded Williams Companies from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research note on Friday, June 13th. TD Cowen assumed coverage on Williams Companies in a research note on Monday, July 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $67.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $63.00 target price on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. One 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $62.86.

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.