326,639 Shares in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) Bought by Proficio Capital Partners LLC

Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 326,639 shares of the pipeline company's stock, valued at approximately $17,678,000.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WMB. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Compass Planning Associates Inc acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $30,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams Companies Price Performance

NYSE:WMB traded down $0.66 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $57.52. The stock had a trading volume of 5,954,284 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,719,221. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $56.60 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $52.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $70.14 billion, a PE ratio of 31.43, a P/E/G ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 0.50 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $35.74 and a 12 month high of $61.46.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The pipeline company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.47. Williams Companies had a net margin of 21.17% and a return on equity of 15.85%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Williams Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Williams Companies's payout ratio is presently 109.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Chad A. Teply sold 26,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.46, for a total transaction of $1,467,960.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 133,048 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,511,890.08. The trade was a 16.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMB has been the subject of several research reports. Mizuho raised 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, November 4th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $46.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $63.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Scotiabank reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $51.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Friday, January 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $54.21.

Williams Companies Profile

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.