TIAA Trust National Association Boosts Stock Holdings in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB)

TIAA Trust National Association increased its position in shares of The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 55.9% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 12,781 shares of the pipeline company's stock after buying an additional 4,582 shares during the period. TIAA Trust National Association's holdings in Williams Companies were worth $692,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of WMB. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Williams Companies during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Williams Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Sandy Spring Bank acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Compass Planning Associates Inc bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

WMB traded up $0.24 during trading on Monday, hitting $59.43. 2,977,179 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,479,852. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $37.18 and a one year high of $61.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The stock's fifty day moving average is $57.30 and its 200 day moving average is $54.60. The firm has a market cap of $72.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 1.03.

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

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Williams Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.37%. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio is 109.29%.

Insider Transactions at Williams Companies

In other news, SVP Chad A. Teply sold 26,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 133,048 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,511,890.08. This represents a 16.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CAO Mary A. Hausman sold 8,896 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.50, for a total value of $511,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 22,339 shares in the company, valued at $1,284,492.50. This trade represents a 28.48 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 139,583 shares of company stock worth $7,563,278. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMB has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Williams Companies from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Williams Companies from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $63.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Scotiabank upped 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 assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $56.07.

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.