Sigma Planning Corp Raises Stock Holdings in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB)

Sigma Planning Corp raised its position in shares of The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) by 3.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 28,922 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after purchasing an additional 844 shares during the quarter. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $1,320,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. CVA Family Office LLC increased its holdings in Williams Companies by 18.7% in the 3rd quarter. CVA Family Office LLC now owns 1,578 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $72,000 after buying an additional 249 shares during the period. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 50.4% in the third quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 752 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $34,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares during the period. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 2.8% during the second quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 9,298 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $395,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. lifted its position in Williams Companies by 0.8% during the second quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 31,206 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $1,326,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. Finally, Whittier Trust Co. boosted its holdings in Williams Companies by 3.5% in the third quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 8,061 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $368,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares during the last quarter. 86.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMB opened at $56.74 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $49.03 and a 200-day simple moving average of $44.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.37 and a beta of 1.03. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $32.65 and a 52 week high of $57.33.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The pipeline company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.42 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $2.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. Williams Companies had a net margin of 27.36% and a return on equity of 15.89%. Williams Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.45 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders 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 yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 80.17%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WMB. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Williams Companies from $45.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on Williams Companies from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Mizuho increased their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $55.00 target price on the stock. Finally, CIBC upped their price target on Williams Companies from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Williams Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.38.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams Companies

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

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.