Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) Sets New 1-Year High Following Analyst Upgrade

The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report)'s stock price hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday after Morgan Stanley raised their price target on the stock from $58.00 to $70.00. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the stock. Williams Companies traded as high as $61.55 and last traded at $61.43, with a volume of 1939576 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $59.60.

A number of other equities research analysts have also commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on Williams Companies from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $63.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, CIBC increased their price objective on Williams Companies from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams Companies currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $56.07.

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Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Mary A. Hausman sold 8,896 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.50, for a total transaction of $511,520.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 22,339 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,284,492.50. This represents a 28.48 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Larry C. Larsen sold 8,000 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.94, for a total transaction of $455,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 81,265 shares in the company, valued at $4,627,229.10. This trade represents a 8.96 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 139,583 shares of company stock valued at $7,563,278. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams Companies

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in WMB. 111 Capital acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $456,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Williams Companies by 43.5% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 315,936 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $17,098,000 after acquiring an additional 95,835 shares during the period. Anchor Pointe Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $222,000. Capstone Triton Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $249,000. Finally, Comprehensive Money Management Services LLC bought a new stake in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $952,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Stock Down 0.5 %

The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $57.25 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.50. The company has a market capitalization of $74.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 1.03.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The pipeline company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.47. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 15.85% and a net margin of 21.17%. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current 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 boost from Williams Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.29%. Williams Companies's payout ratio is currently 109.29%.

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.