Investors Purchase Large Volume of Williams Companies Call Options (NYSE:WMB)

The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading on Thursday. Stock traders purchased 20,221 call options on the stock. This is an increase of 107% compared to the typical volume of 9,773 call options.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams Companies

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of WMB. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Sandy Spring Bank bought a new stake in Williams Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. purchased a new position in Williams Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMB traded down $1.02 during trading on Friday, hitting $57.44. 11,081,263 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,709,167. Williams Companies has a 52-week low of $34.26 and a 52-week high of $61.46. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $56.15 and a 200 day moving average of $52.18. 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 company has a market cap of $70.01 billion, a PE ratio of 31.39, a P/E/G ratio of 5.00 and a beta of 1.04.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The pipeline company reported $0.47 earnings per share (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 research analysts predict that Williams Companies will post 2.08 EPS for the current year.

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.48%. This is an increase from Williams Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 109.29%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on WMB. Mizuho lifted their price target on Williams Companies from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Williams Companies from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $46.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Scotiabank reaffirmed a "sector perform" rating and issued a $51.00 price objective on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams Companies presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $53.29.

About Williams Companies

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.