GAMMA Investing LLC Has $133.77 Million Stock Position in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB)

GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 6,407.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 2,238,490 shares of the pipeline company's stock after buying an additional 2,204,090 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC owned about 0.18% of Williams Companies worth $133,772,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Walnut Private Equity Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $28,256,000. Quent Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 47.8% during the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 686 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $41,000 after buying an additional 222 shares during the last quarter. Capital Market Strategies LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $236,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 50.2% in the 1st quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 5,071 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $303,000 after purchasing an additional 1,695 shares during the period. Finally, First Hawaiian Bank raised its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 29.0% in the 1st quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 53,795 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $3,215,000 after purchasing an additional 12,100 shares during the period. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Larry C. Larsen sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.94, for a total transaction of $455,520.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 81,265 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,627,229.10. This trade represents a 8.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Micheal G. Dunn sold 96,687 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.04, for a total transaction of $5,128,278.48. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 714,693 shares in the company, valued at $37,907,316.72. This represents a 11.92% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

Williams Companies stock traded up $0.35 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $60.47. The company had a trading volume of 4,844,340 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,758,804. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $58.43 and a 200 day moving average of $57.34. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $40.41 and a one year high of $61.67. The firm has a market cap of $73.74 billion, a PE ratio of 33.05, a PEG ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 0.50 and a quick ratio of 0.45.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The pipeline company reported $0.60 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.55 by $0.05. Williams Companies had a net margin of 21.17% and a return on equity of 15.85%. 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 business posted $0.59 EPS. The business's revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 13th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.31%. Williams Companies's payout ratio is presently 106.95%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $63.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company upped 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. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Scotiabank upped their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $52.00 to $59.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Thursday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $61.25.

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.