Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) Sets New 12-Month High – Here’s What Happened

The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high on Monday . The company traded as high as $56.86 and last traded at $56.80, with a volume of 97220 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $56.31.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on WMB shares. Truist Financial lifted their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $42.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com downgraded Williams Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Citigroup raised their price target on Williams Companies from $45.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Scotiabank lifted their price objective on Williams Companies from $43.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on Williams Companies from $51.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $50.38.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.17 billion, a PE ratio of 23.94, a PEG ratio of 6.05 and a beta of 1.03. The business’s 50 day moving average is $49.03 and its 200 day moving average is $44.54.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The pipeline company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.01. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 15.89% and a net margin of 27.36%. The firm had revenue of $2.65 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.45 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.01 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.475 per share. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 80.17%.

Insider Transactions at Williams Companies

In related news, CAO Mary A. Hausman sold 7,951 shares of Williams Companies 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 owns 25,858 shares in the company, valued at $1,455,805.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.29, for a total transaction of $90,580.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 304,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,777,218. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Mary A. Hausman sold 7,951 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,455,805.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams Companies

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Atomi Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Williams Companies during the first quarter worth $242,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in Williams Companies by 9.1% during the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 29,396 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $1,146,000 after purchasing an additional 2,442 shares in the last quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. grew its stake in Williams Companies by 9.2% in the first quarter. Avantax Advisory Services Inc. now owns 31,557 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $1,230,000 after purchasing an additional 2,666 shares during the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. raised its holdings in Williams Companies by 13.4% in the first quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. now owns 116,052 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $4,523,000 after purchasing an additional 13,709 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Williams Companies by 7.0% during the first quarter. State Board of Administration of Florida Retirement System now owns 1,444,589 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $56,296,000 after buying an additional 94,095 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

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.