The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) Stake Trimmed by Energy Income Partners LLC

Energy Income Partners LLC cut its holdings in shares of The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) by 12.9% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 3,324,658 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 493,224 shares during the quarter. Williams Companies accounts for about 2.7% of Energy Income Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Energy Income Partners LLC owned 0.27% of Williams Companies worth $129,562,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Fairman Group LLC acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Finally, Alaska Permanent Fund Corp acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $46,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams Companies Price Performance

WMB stock traded up $0.70 during trading on Friday, hitting $42.52. The company had a trading volume of 5,567,552 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,498,141. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $41.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $38.67. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The company has a market cap of $51.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.87, a P/E/G ratio of 6.65 and a beta of 1.05. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.49 and a fifty-two week high of $45.10.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 6th. The pipeline company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.69 billion. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.27% and a net margin of 27.29%. Williams Companies’s quarterly revenue was down 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.56 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 1.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 24th. Investors of record on Friday, June 7th were paid a $0.475 dividend. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.47%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 7th. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 79.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have commented on WMB. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Williams Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $38.00 to $46.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 4th. Royal Bank of Canada lifted their price target on Williams Companies from $40.00 to $44.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, June 13th. StockNews.com lowered Williams Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Williams Companies from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, CIBC lifted their price target on Williams Companies from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $41.77.

Insider Activity at Williams Companies

In related news, SVP Debbie L. Pickle sold 38,200 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $39.61, for a total value of $1,513,102.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 60,410 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,392,840.10. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.44% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Williams Companies 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.