Morningstar Investment Management LLC decreased its position in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 44.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 63,640 shares of the pipeline company's stock after selling 50,903 shares during the quarter. Morningstar Investment Management LLC's holdings in Williams Companies were worth $3,444,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Williams Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Williams Companies during the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.44% of the company's stock.
Williams Companies Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE:WMB traded down $1.02 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $57.44. The stock had a trading volume of 11,081,263 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,709,167. The company has a current ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The company has a market capitalization of $70.01 billion, a PE ratio of 31.39, a P/E/G ratio of 5.00 and a beta of 1.04. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $34.26 and a 1 year high of $61.46. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $56.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $52.07.
Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The pipeline company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.47. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 15.85% and a net margin of 21.17%. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Williams Companies Increases Dividend
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Williams Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 109.29%.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group boosted their target price on Williams Companies from $55.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Mizuho boosted their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Barclays boosted their target price on Williams Companies from $46.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Scotiabank reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and set a $51.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $53.29.
Read Our Latest Research Report on WMB
About Williams Companies
(
Free Report)
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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