Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) Price Target Raised to $70.00

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) had its price objective increased by UBS Group from $55.00 to $70.00 in a report published on Friday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the pipeline company’s stock.

Several other equities analysts also recently issued reports on WMB. Bank of America initiated coverage on Williams Companies in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $55.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $45.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 3rd. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. CIBC boosted their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on Williams Companies from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $51.54.

Williams Companies Stock Up 1.7 %

Shares of NYSE WMB opened at $56.55 on Friday. Williams Companies has a 52-week low of $32.65 and a 52-week high of $57.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a current ratio of 0.57. The business has a fifty day moving average of $49.94 and a two-hundred day moving average of $45.03. The stock has a market cap of $68.94 billion, a PE ratio of 23.86, a PEG ratio of 5.83 and a beta of 1.03.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The pipeline company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.01. The firm 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%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.45 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Williams Companies will post 1.91 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 13th will be paid a $0.475 dividend. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.36%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 13th. Williams Companies’s payout ratio is presently 80.17%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CAO Mary A. Hausman sold 7,951 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.30, for a total value of $447,641.30. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 25,858 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,455,805.40. The trade was a 23.52 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 304,200 shares in the company, valued at $13,777,218. This trade represents a 0.65 % 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

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the third quarter valued at about $30,000. SouthState Corp acquired a new position in Williams Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton raised its holdings 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 valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the second quarter worth $35,000. 86.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.