The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) Shares Sold by Wilkinson Global Asset Management LLC

Wilkinson Global Asset Management LLC trimmed its position in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) by 8.5% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,000 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 650 shares during the period. Wilkinson Global Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $298,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC bought a new position in Williams Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $322,000. Principal Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,197,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas boosted its position in shares of Williams Companies by 36.1% during the 4th quarter. Teacher Retirement System of Texas now owns 147,923 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $5,152,000 after purchasing an additional 39,215 shares in the last quarter. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. grew its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 5.4% in the 4th quarter. Astoria Portfolio Advisors LLC. now owns 8,868 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $304,000 after purchasing an additional 455 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Qsemble Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $758,000. 86.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMB has been the subject of a number of research reports. Royal Bank of Canada raised their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $44.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Williams Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $38.00 to $46.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 4th. Barclays upped their target price on Williams Companies from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 19th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Williams Companies from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn downgraded Williams Companies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $42.83.

Williams Companies Stock Down 1.3 %

Williams Companies stock traded down $0.57 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $44.26. The company had a trading volume of 4,602,869 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,411,479. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $32.49 and a fifty-two week high of $45.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 0.45 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $53.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.60, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.11 and a beta of 1.05. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $43.56 and its 200-day moving average is $40.68.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 5th. The pipeline company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.38 by $0.05. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.17% and a net margin of 27.11%. The business had revenue of $2.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.46 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.42 earnings per share. Williams Companies’s quarterly revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 1.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.475 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.29%. Williams Companies’s payout ratio is 79.83%.

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.