Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB Stake Lifted by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System raised its position in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) by 6.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,159,547 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after purchasing an additional 68,855 shares during the period. Williams Companies accounts for approximately 1.6% of Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $72,831,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Flaharty Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new stake in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new stake in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in Williams Companies by 4,490.9% during the first 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 acquired a new position in Williams Companies during the first quarter worth $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Williams Companies stock opened at $63.49 on Thursday. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $48.71 and a 52 week high of $65.55. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $59.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.05. The firm has a market cap of $77.42 billion, a PE ratio of 31.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 0.65. 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 (NYSE:WMB) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.43 EPS. The business’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. Equities analysts forecast that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 29th. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th were issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, September 12th. Williams Companies’s payout ratio is currently 100.50%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on WMB shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Williams Companies from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Wall Street Zen lowered Williams Companies from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 4th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on Williams Companies from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Barclays boosted their price objective on Williams Companies from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $63.00 price objective on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and five have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $65.53.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams Companies

In related news, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of the business’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 owned 77,612 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,537,973.64. The trade was a 5.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 4th. The shares were 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 owned 311,645 shares in the company, valued at $17,956,984.90. This represents a 0.64% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 8,500 shares of company stock worth $497,715 in the last quarter. Company 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.