Janney Montgomery Scott LLC Lowers Stock Position in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB)

Janney Montgomery Scott LLC reduced its holdings in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 983,252 shares of the pipeline company's stock after selling 18,163 shares during the period. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC owned about 0.08% of Williams Companies worth $44,885,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Blackstone Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 109.1% in the 1st quarter. Blackstone Inc. now owns 6,466,660 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $252,006,000 after purchasing an additional 3,373,800 shares during the period. Castle Hook Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $57,220,000. Clearbridge Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 5.9% in the 1st quarter. Clearbridge Investments LLC now owns 20,983,727 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $817,736,000 after purchasing an additional 1,175,628 shares during the period. American Century Companies Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 20.1% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 6,117,298 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $259,985,000 after purchasing an additional 1,024,158 shares during the period. Finally, Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 13.4% in the 1st quarter. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP now owns 8,540,611 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $332,828,000 after purchasing an additional 1,010,658 shares during the period. 86.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMB traded up $0.58 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $52.14. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,719,253 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,247,241. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $47.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $43.86. The stock has a market capitalization of $63.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.12, a P/E/G ratio of 5.87 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a current ratio of 0.45. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $32.65 and a 1-year high of $52.85.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 5th. The pipeline company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.05. Williams Companies had a net margin of 27.11% and a return on equity of 16.17%. The firm had revenue of $2.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.46 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.42 earnings per share. Williams Companies's quarterly revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 1.91 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Williams Companies

In related news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.29, for a total value of $90,580.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 304,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,777,218. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on WMB shares. Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $43.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a "buy" rating and a $55.00 price objective for the company. CIBC upped their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Seaport Res Ptn cut shares of Williams Companies from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $49.62.

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.