Zions Bancorporation N.A. Lowers Holdings in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB)

Zions Bancorporation N.A. lessened its stake in shares of The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 36.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 127,557 shares of the pipeline company's stock after selling 73,904 shares during the period. Zions Bancorporation N.A.'s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $5,823,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Huntington National Bank grew its position in Williams Companies by 29.7% during the 3rd quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 25,091 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $1,145,000 after purchasing an additional 5,742 shares during the last quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. lifted its stake in Williams Companies by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 141,508 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $6,460,000 after acquiring an additional 1,427 shares during the period. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Williams Companies by 4.1% during the 3rd quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 12,357 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $564,000 after acquiring an additional 492 shares during the period. Aigen Investment Management LP acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $322,000. Finally, Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Williams Companies by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,829 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $540,000 after acquiring an additional 764 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMB traded down $0.02 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $55.58. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,980,338 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,246,650. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $49.48 and a two-hundred day moving average of $44.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.59, a P/E/G ratio of 5.56 and a beta of 1.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.57. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $32.65 and a 1-year high of $57.33.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The pipeline company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.01. Williams Companies had a net margin of 27.36% and a return on equity of 15.89%. The firm had revenue of $2.65 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.52 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.45 earnings per share. Williams Companies's revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.01 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th will be given a dividend of $0.475 per share. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.42%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 13th. Williams Companies's payout ratio is currently 80.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CAO Mary A. Hausman sold 7,951 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.30, for a total transaction of $447,641.30. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 25,858 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,455,805.40. This trade represents a 23.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.29, for a total transaction of $90,580.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 304,200 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,777,218. This trade represents a 0.65 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CAO Mary A. Hausman sold 7,951 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.30, for a total transaction of $447,641.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 25,858 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,455,805.40. The trade was a 23.52 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.44% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on WMB shares. Truist Financial lifted their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $42.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of Williams Companies from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $52.00 to $58.00 in a research note on Friday, October 4th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $51.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 18th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $50.38.

Williams Companies Company 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.