Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) Stock Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average - What's Next?

The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) passed above its two hundred day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a two hundred day moving average of $48.58 and traded as high as $55.96. Williams Companies shares last traded at $55.88, with a volume of 5,906,129 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMB has been the subject of several analyst reports. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Williams Companies from $45.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Mizuho increased their price target on Williams Companies from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Williams Companies from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. One equities research 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 MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $52.07.

Williams Companies Stock Up 1.3 %

The company has a market capitalization of $69.00 billion, a PE ratio of 23.88, a PEG ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 1.05. 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 stock's 50 day moving average is $55.31 and its 200 day moving average is $48.58.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $2.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 15.89% and a net margin of 27.36%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.45 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 1.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th were issued a $0.475 dividend. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, December 13th. Williams Companies's payout ratio is 80.17%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CAO Mary A. Hausman sold 7,951 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.30, for a total value of $447,641.30. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.44% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams Companies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WMB. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. SouthState Corp purchased a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its position in shares of Williams Companies by 50.4% during the 3rd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 752 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in Williams Companies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. 86.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.