Capital Analysts LLC Decreases Stock Position in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB)

Capital Analysts LLC reduced its stake in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 18.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 63,422 shares of the pipeline company's stock after selling 14,565 shares during the quarter. Capital Analysts LLC's holdings in Williams Companies were worth $3,432,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Williams Companies Stock Down 0.9 %

WMB stock opened at $59.05 on Friday. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $37.69 and a 52 week high of $61.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $57.59 and a 200-day simple moving average of $56.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $72.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.27, a P/E/G ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.87.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The pipeline company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.47. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 15.85% and a net margin of 21.17%. Equities analysts forecast that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Williams Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Williams Companies's payout ratio is 109.29%.

Insider Transactions at Williams Companies

In related news, COO Micheal G. Dunn sold 96,687 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.04, for a total transaction of $5,128,278.48. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 714,693 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,907,316.72. This trade represents a 11.92 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Larry C. Larsen sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.94, for a total value of $455,520.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 81,265 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,627,229.10. The trade was a 8.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 139,583 shares of company stock valued at $7,563,278 over the last 90 days. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on WMB shares. Scotiabank lifted their target price on Williams Companies from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price target on Williams Companies from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Williams Companies from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $57.77.

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.

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