Prudential Financial Inc. raised its position in shares of The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 25.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,763,277 shares of the pipeline company's stock after purchasing an additional 566,447 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. owned 0.23% of Williams Companies worth $149,549,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.
Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in Williams Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $720,000. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 13.8% in the 4th quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 162,799 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $8,811,000 after purchasing an additional 19,782 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Equity Partners lifted its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 319.9% in the 4th quarter. Golden State Equity Partners now owns 12,038 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $651,000 after purchasing an additional 9,171 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC boosted its holdings in Williams Companies by 81.4% in the fourth quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 185,920 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $10,062,000 after purchasing an additional 83,429 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Myriad Asset Management US LP acquired a new position in Williams Companies during the fourth quarter worth $995,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Williams Companies Stock Performance
Shares of WMB traded down $0.31 on Tuesday, reaching $60.78. 6,528,794 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,182,604. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $57.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $54.29. 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 firm has a market cap of $74.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.21, a P/E/G ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 1.03. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $37.18 and a 12 month high of $61.55.
Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The pipeline company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.47. Williams Companies had a net margin of 21.17% and a return on equity of 15.85%. Equities analysts forecast that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Williams Companies Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared 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 is a boost from Williams Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.29%. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 109.29%.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
WMB has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Barclays upped their price target on Williams Companies from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Williams Companies from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Scotiabank lifted their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams Companies presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $56.07.
Read Our Latest Report on WMB
Insider Buying and Selling at Williams Companies
In other 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 value of $1,467,960.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 133,048 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,511,890.08. The trade was a 16.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Micheal G. Dunn sold 96,687 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief operating officer now owns 714,693 shares of the company's stock, valued at $37,907,316.72. This trade represents a 11.92 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 139,583 shares of company stock valued at $7,563,278. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
About Williams Companies
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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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