Congress Asset Management Co. Acquires Shares of 1,885,978 The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB)

Congress Asset Management Co. acquired a new stake in shares of The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 1,885,978 shares of the pipeline company's stock, valued at approximately $112,706,000. Congress Asset Management Co. owned about 0.15% of Williams Companies 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. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Menard Financial Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Sandy Spring Bank purchased a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Hoey Investments Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. 86.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams Companies Price Performance

Shares of WMB stock remained flat at $60.56 during mid-day trading on Friday. The stock had a trading volume of 5,273,288 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,760,319. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $40.41 and a 1-year high of $61.67. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $58.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $57.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.84 billion, a PE ratio of 33.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.65.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The pipeline company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.05. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 15.85% and a net margin of 21.17%. The business had revenue of $3.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.59 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Investors of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.30%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 106.95%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WMB has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Williams Companies from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Royal Bank of Canada restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $63.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Friday, May 16th. Barclays upped their price target on Williams Companies from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Truist Financial upped their price target on Williams Companies from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their price target on Williams Companies from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams Companies has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $61.25.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Larry C. Larsen sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.94, for a total value of $455,520.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 81,265 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,627,229.10. This trade represents a 8.96% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

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.