Barclays Boosts Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) Price Target to $56.00

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) had its price objective raised by Barclays from $46.00 to $56.00 in a report issued on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the pipeline company's stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial boosted their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised shares of Williams Companies from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $52.00 to $58.00 in a report on Friday, October 4th. Mizuho boosted their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $55.00 price target for the company. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Williams Companies from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $53.00.

Williams Companies Stock Down 1.4 %

WMB stock traded down $0.78 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $55.61. 6,336,321 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,993,953. The company has a market cap of $67.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.46, a P/E/G ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 1.06. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $55.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $49.08. Williams Companies has a 52 week low of $32.65 and a 52 week high of $60.36. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The pipeline company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $2.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.52 billion. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 15.89% and a net margin of 27.36%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.45 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Williams Companies will post 1.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th were given a $0.475 dividend. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 80.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams Companies news, CAO Mary A. Hausman sold 7,951 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.30, for a total value of $447,641.30. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 25,858 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,455,805.40. This trade represents a 23.52 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Williams Companies in the third quarter valued at $30,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its holdings in Williams Companies by 50.4% in the third quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 752 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $38,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.44% of the company's stock.

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.