KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS Acquires 19,400 Shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB)

KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS grew its position in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 4.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 485,910 shares of the pipeline company's stock after acquiring an additional 19,400 shares during the period. KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS's holdings in Williams Companies were worth $29,038,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Menard Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. HWG Holdings LP acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Hoey Investments Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Williams Companies by 4,490.9% during the 1st quarter. Iron Horse Wealth Management LLC now owns 505 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 494 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.44% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Williams Companies

In other news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, July 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.70, for a total value of $125,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 315,645 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,790,941.50. This represents a 0.63% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

WMB stock traded down $0.82 on Friday, reaching $57.93. 3,154,501 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,820,556. The firm has a market capitalization of $70.64 billion, a PE ratio of 30.99, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.65. 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 stock's fifty day moving average price is $59.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $58.18. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $40.41 and a 12 month high of $63.45.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The pipeline company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.05. Williams Companies had a net margin of 21.18% and a return on equity of 15.95%. The firm had revenue of $3.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.59 EPS. The company's revenue was up 10.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 13th were paid a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.45%. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 106.95%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on WMB shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. TD Cowen started coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Monday, July 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $67.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $63.00 price objective on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Scotiabank upped their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $59.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Williams Companies from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Friday, June 13th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Williams Companies presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $61.77.

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.