Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Buys Shares of 795,066 The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new position in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 795,066 shares of the pipeline company's stock, valued at approximately $43,029,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned about 0.07% of Williams Companies as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WMB. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Sandy Spring Bank acquired a new position in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hoey Investments Inc. acquired a new position in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Compass Planning Associates Inc acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Institutional investors own 86.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE WMB traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $60.39. 12,301,540 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,723,608. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 33.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.66. 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 company's 50 day moving average price is $58.34 and its 200 day moving average price is $57.24. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $40.41 and a 12 month high of $61.67.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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 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 the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.59 EPS. The business's revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. CIBC raised their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $63.00 target price on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective 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. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $60.75.

Insider Activity at Williams Companies

In related news, COO Micheal G. Dunn sold 96,687 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 714,693 shares of the company's stock, valued at $37,907,316.72. The trade was a 11.92% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CAO Mary A. Hausman sold 8,896 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.50, for a total value of $511,520.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 22,339 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,284,492.50. This represents a 28.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 113,583 shares of company stock worth $6,095,318. 0.44% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.