Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) Stock Position Raised by Vectors Research Management LLC

Vectors Research Management LLC lifted its stake in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) by 2.0% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 67,191 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,292 shares during the period. Williams Companies accounts for 1.4% of Vectors Research Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Vectors Research Management LLC’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $4,015,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WMB. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new position in Williams Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Menard Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Sandy Spring Bank acquired a new position in Williams Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Hoey Investments Inc. purchased a new stake in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Abound Wealth Management boosted its position in Williams Companies by 119.4% during the 1st quarter. Abound Wealth Management now owns 634 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 345 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on WMB shares. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $63.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Barclays increased their price objective on Williams Companies from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Williams Companies from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Scotiabank increased their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Williams Companies from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.25.

Williams Companies Price Performance

Williams Companies stock opened at $60.49 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $59.12 and a 200 day simple moving average of $57.46. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The company has a market capitalization of $73.76 billion, a PE ratio of 32.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.47 and a beta of 0.65. Williams Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $40.41 and a one year high of $61.67.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The pipeline company reported $0.60 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $3.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. Williams Companies had a net margin of 21.18% and a return on equity of 15.95%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.59 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 106.95%.

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.