US Bancorp DE Buys 5,847 Shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB)

Key Points

• US Bancorp DE increased its holdings in Williams Companies, Inc. by 1.5%, acquiring an additional 5,847 shares and bringing its total share ownership to 384,486, valued at approximately $22.98 million.
• Williams Companies recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, reflecting an annual yield of 3.3%, with a payout ratio of 106.95%.
• According to analysts, Williams Companies has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and target price averaging $61.77, with eight analysts recommending a buy rating.

US Bancorp DE grew its stake in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 1.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 384,486 shares of the pipeline company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,847 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE's holdings in Williams Companies were worth $22,977,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMB. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 290.3% in the 1st quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 27,271 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $1,630,000 after acquiring an additional 20,283 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. increased its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 89.5% in the 1st quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 5,044 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $301,000 after acquiring an additional 2,382 shares in the last quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Sound View Wealth Advisors Group LLC now owns 66,710 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $3,987,000 after acquiring an additional 1,170 shares in the last quarter. Cordatus Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the 1st quarter worth about $804,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 71.2% in the 1st quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 1,611,911 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $96,328,000 after acquiring an additional 670,107 shares in the last quarter. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on WMB shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $63.00 price objective on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target 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. Wolfe Research raised shares of Williams Companies from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Friday, June 13th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Monday, July 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Scotiabank raised their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $59.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 15th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams Companies has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $61.77.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

Shares of WMB traded up $0.02 on Monday, reaching $60.29. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,080,159 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,607,586. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $40.41 and a 12-month high of $63.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.24, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.66. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $59.47 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $58.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63, a current ratio of 0.40 and a quick ratio of 0.36.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The pipeline company reported $0.46 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49 by ($0.03). Williams Companies had a return on equity of 15.95% and a net margin of 21.18%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.43 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 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, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 12th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 12th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 106.95%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.68, for a total transaction of $119,360.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 313,645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $18,718,333.60. This trade represents a 0.63% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

About Williams Companies

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.