Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. Sells 89,073 Shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc. decreased its holdings in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) by 40.9% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 128,635 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 89,073 shares during the period. Vestmark Advisory Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $8,080,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WMB. Flaharty Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Saudi Central Bank acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the first quarter worth approximately $29,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC grew its position in Williams Companies by 104.8% during the second quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 469 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Williams Companies by 4,490.9% during the 1st quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 505 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 494 shares during the period. Finally, Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new position in Williams Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have recently issued reports on WMB shares. Cibc World Mkts raised Williams Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $70.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 2nd. Mizuho raised shares of Williams Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Argus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $66.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Thursday, August 14th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Williams Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Friday, October 17th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $67.86.

Insider Activity

In other news, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.47, for a total transaction of $263,115.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer directly owned 77,612 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,537,973.64. The trade was a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.62, for a total transaction of $115,240.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 311,645 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $17,956,984.90. This trade represents a 0.64% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

Shares of Williams Companies stock opened at $59.53 on Friday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $60.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $59.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.63. Williams Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.58 and a fifty-two week high of $65.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 0.54 and a quick ratio of 0.48.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last announced 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). Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 21.63%.The company had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.87 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.43 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 12th will be given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 12th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 103.09%.

About Williams Companies

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.