Mary A. Hausman, Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer at Williams Companies Inc. (NYSE:WMB), recently sold a significant portion of her stock in the company. According to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Hausman sold a total of 7,951 shares of common stock on November 8, 2024. The shares were sold at prices ranging from $56.30 to $56.31, amounting to a total transaction value of $447,649.
Following these transactions, Hausman retains ownership of 25,858 shares in Williams Companies. The sales were executed in multiple lots but were combined for reporting purposes. The transactions were conducted directly, with no indication of indirect ownership or equity swaps involved.
Williams Companies, based in Tulsa, Oklahoma, is a prominent player in the natural gas transmission sector. The company's stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol WMB.
In other recent news, Williams Companies has seen significant developments in its financial performance and strategic positioning. The energy company recently reported a record adjusted EBITDA in its third quarter 2024 earnings call, leading to an upward revision of its 2024 EBITDA guidance from $6.95 billion to $7.075 billion. This performance was primarily driven by natural gas transportation expansions and strategic acquisitions, including Gulf Coast Storage.
CFRA recently upgraded Williams Companies from Hold to Buy, setting a new price target at $62, up from the previous $42. The firm's analyst, Stewart Glickman, cited a more favorable regulatory environment as a key factor for this upgrade.
Williams Companies also announced a partnership with Lakeland Electric for a 75-megawatt solar farm and reported third-quarter revenues of $1.7 billion, an increase from $1.652 billion in the previous year. Despite challenges from low natural gas prices and hurricane impacts, the company demonstrated resilience with a 22.9% return on invested capital from 2018 to 2023.
Finally, the company reaffirmed its 2025 financial guidance, with an updated leverage guidance from 3.85x to 3.8x. These are the recent developments that investors should be aware of regarding Williams Companies.
InvestingPro Insights
The recent stock sale by Mary A. Hausman, Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer at Williams Companies Inc. (NYSE:WMB), comes at a time when the company's stock is trading near its 52-week high. According to InvestingPro data, WMB's stock price is currently at 99.41% of its 52-week high, with a closing price of $56.90 as of the last trading session.
This sale occurs against a backdrop of strong performance for WMB. The company has seen impressive returns, with a 71.11% price total return over the past year and a substantial 69.22% return year-to-date. These figures align with the InvestingPro Tip indicating that WMB has shown a "high return over the last year."
Despite the positive price momentum, investors should note that WMB is trading at a relatively high valuation. The company's P/E ratio stands at 24.23, which is considered high relative to its near-term earnings growth, as pointed out by one of the InvestingPro Tips. Additionally, with a Price to Book ratio of 5.6, the stock appears to be trading at a premium to its book value.
On the dividend front, WMB continues to be an attractive option for income-focused investors. The company boasts a dividend yield of 3.34% and has maintained dividend payments for an impressive 51 consecutive years. This consistency in dividend payments could be a factor in the stock's appeal to long-term investors.
It's worth noting that while the stock has shown strong performance, some analysts have revised their earnings expectations downward for the upcoming period. This, coupled with the RSI suggesting the stock is in overbought territory, may warrant caution for potential investors.
For those interested in a more comprehensive analysis, InvestingPro offers 16 additional tips for WMB, providing a deeper insight into the company's financial health and market position.
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