The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) Shares Sold by SailingStone Capital Partners LLC

SailingStone Capital Partners LLC trimmed its stake in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) by 23.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 308,778 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 92,124 shares during the quarter. Williams Companies comprises approximately 5.6% of SailingStone Capital Partners LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. SailingStone Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $16,711,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMB. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Sandy Spring Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. bought a new position in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMB has been the subject of several research reports. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Williams Companies from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Barclays increased their price objective on Williams Companies from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Truist Financial increased their price objective on Williams Companies from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. CIBC increased their price objective on Williams Companies from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Williams Companies from $63.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.50.

Williams Companies Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:WMB opened at $58.77 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $71.66 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.11, a P/E/G ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.66. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $58.24 and its 200-day moving average is $56.87. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $39.88 and a 52-week high of $61.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.50.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The pipeline company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $3.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 15.85% and a net margin of 21.17%. The firm’s revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.59 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 106.95%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Larry C. Larsen sold 8,000 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.94, for a total transaction of $455,520.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 81,265 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,627,229.10. This trade represents a 8.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Chad A. Teply sold 26,000 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.46, for a total value of $1,467,960.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 133,048 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,511,890.08. This trade represents a 16.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 139,583 shares of company stock valued at $7,563,278. 0.44% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.