Baker Avenue Asset Management LP Makes New $1.21 Million Investment in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Baker Avenue Asset Management LP acquired a new stake in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 19,232 shares of the pipeline company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,208,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Flaharty Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Williams Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $25,000. Saudi Central Bank bought a new stake in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $29,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 104.8% in the second quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 469 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Finally, Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 86.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have weighed in on WMB shares. Mizuho upgraded Williams Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $70.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 2nd. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Monday, December 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Williams Companies from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Finally, Tudor Pickering raised Williams Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 1st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $68.21.

Williams Companies Trading Down 1.4%

NYSE:WMB opened at $61.92 on Tuesday. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $51.58 and a 12 month high of $65.55. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $60.78 and its 200 day moving average is $59.68. The stock has a market capitalization of $75.62 billion, a PE ratio of 31.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.62.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The pipeline company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.51 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.87 billion. Williams Companies had a net margin of 20.61% and a return on equity of 16.74%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.43 EPS. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.2%. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 103.09%.

Insider Activity

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.53, for a total transaction of $242,120.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 302,645 shares in the company, valued at $18,319,101.85. This trade represents a 1.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 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.