The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) Receives Consensus Rating of "Hold" from Analysts

The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) has received an average recommendation of "Hold" from the fifteen ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eight have issued a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $42.83.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays raised their target price on Williams Companies from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday. CIBC raised their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. US Capital Advisors cut shares of Williams Companies from an "overweight" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Williams Companies from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $38.00 to $46.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 4th.

Williams Companies Stock Up 1.4 %

NYSE:WMB traded up $0.62 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $45.29. The company had a trading volume of 3,350,261 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,499,317. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $42.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $39.86. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.03, a PEG ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.05. Williams Companies has a 1 year low of $32.49 and a 1 year high of $45.35.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, August 5th. The pipeline company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $2.34 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.46 billion. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.17% and a net margin of 27.11%. The company's revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.42 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that Williams Companies will post 1.92 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.475 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.20%. Williams Companies's payout ratio is 79.83%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Next Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in Williams Companies during the second quarter worth approximately $221,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Williams Companies by 12.3% during the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,607 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $493,000 after purchasing an additional 1,267 shares in the last quarter. Kimelman & Baird LLC bought a new stake in Williams Companies during the second quarter worth approximately $42,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Williams Companies in the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Sunbelt Securities Inc. grew its position in Williams Companies by 60.1% in the second quarter. Sunbelt Securities Inc. now owns 1,687 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 633 shares during the last quarter. 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.