O Shaughnessy Asset Management Increases Stake in The Williams Companies

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC has increased its ownership of shares in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) by 23.7% during the fourth quarter, as revealed in its recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm's total holdings now amount to 238,918 shares, thanks to the acquisition of an additional 45,748 shares during this period. The value of O Shaughnessy's investment in Williams Companies is approximately $12,930,000 based on its latest filing.

Other institutional investors have also shown interest in The Williams Companies. Norges Bank, for instance, bought a new stake worth around $575,103,000 during the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position by 19.0% in the third quarter and now owns 35,734,666 shares, valued at $1,631,288,000 after adding 5,697,605 shares recently. Additionally, Amundi raised its holdings by 28.8% and now has 8,781,963 shares worth $495,215,000 after purchasing 1,964,421 shares during the fourth quarter.

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. significantly grew its position in the fourth quarter, increasing its holdings by 3,490.2% to own 1,600,239 shares valued at $86,605,000. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA also raised its investment by 147.1%, now controlling 1,906,740 shares valued at $103,193,000 after an acquisition of 1,135,195 shares. Overall, institutional investors own 86.44% of Williams Companies' stock.

Recent Analyst Ratings

The Williams Companies have been evaluated recently by several analysts. Scotiabank has raised its target price from $51.00 to $53.00, assigning a "sector perform" rating in a report published on March 6. Barclays has also increased its target price on the stock from $56.00 to $58.00, giving it an "equal weight" rating on March 21. Morgan Stanley made a notable adjustment by boosting its target price from $58.00 to $70.00 with an "overweight" rating on March 25.

Royal Bank of Canada adjusted its price objective from $62.00 to $63.00, with an "outperform" rating dated March 4. Citigroup also raised its price target from $63.00 to $65.00, issuing a "buy" rating on February 25. Overall, one analyst has given the stock a sell rating, while eight have recommended holding it, and nine have issued a buy rating. Williams Companies currently hold an average rating of "Hold" with a consensus target price set at $56.07.

Insider Transactions at Williams Companies

In recent insider news, Senior Vice President Chad A. Teply sold 26,000 shares on February 27 at an average price of $56.46, amounting to a total transaction value of $1,467,960. After this sale, Teply owns 133,048 shares valued at about $7,511,890. This marks a 16.35% reduction in his ownership of the stock. Similarly, COO Micheal G. Dunn sold 96,687 shares on March 7, at an average price of $53.04, resulting in a total of $5,128,278.48. Dunn now holds 714,693 shares valued at approximately $37,907,316 after an 11.92% decrease in his stake. Over the past 90 days, insiders have sold 139,583 shares worth $7,563,278, with current insider ownership at 0.44%.

Williams Companies Market Performance

As of Tuesday, WMB stock opened at $59.77. The company has a market capitalization of $72.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.66, and a beta of 1.03. The fifty-day moving average stands at $57.31 and the two-hundred day moving average is at $54.70. The Williams Companies have experienced a 52-week low of $37.18 and a high of $61.67, with a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. Its quick and current ratios are 0.45 and 0.50 respectively.

Recently, Williams Companies announced its quarterly earnings on February 12, reporting earnings per share (EPS) of $0.47, aligning perfectly with market expectations. The company achieved a return on equity of 15.85% and a net margin of 21.17%. Analysts forecast the company will post an EPS of 2.08 for the current year.

Dividend Announcement

The company has recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid to shareholders on March 31. A dividend of $0.50 was issued to those on record as of March 14, which shows a growth from the previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This brings the annualized dividend to $2.00, translating to a yield of 3.35%. However, the company's payout ratio stands at a high 109.29%.

Company Overview

The Williams Companies, Inc. operates primarily in the energy infrastructure sector in the United States, comprising various subsidiaries. It is divided into segments like Transmission & Gulf of Mexico, Northeast G&P, West, and Gas & NGL Marketing Services. The Transmission & Gulf of Mexico segment includes natural gas pipelines, natural gas gathering and processing facilities, and other assets in the Gulf Coast region.

investment, shares, valuation, funds, pipeline, dividends