Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) Downgraded to "Hold" at US Capital Advisors

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities researchers at US Capital Advisors from an "overweight" rating to a "hold" rating in a report released on Monday, Zacks.com reports. US Capital Advisors also issued estimates for Williams Companies' Q1 2024 earnings at $0.49 EPS, Q2 2024 earnings at $0.39 EPS, Q3 2024 earnings at $0.39 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $1.71 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $0.44 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $0.54 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $1.87 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $2.02 EPS.

Several other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Wolfe Research reissued an "underperform" rating and set a $34.00 target price on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Williams Companies from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Barclays raised their price target on Williams Companies from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on Williams Companies from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, March 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $39.22.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

WMB stock traded down $0.47 during trading on Monday, reaching $37.89. The stock had a trading volume of 7,768,840 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,999,112. Williams Companies has a 52 week low of $28.27 and a 52 week high of $39.76. The stock's 50 day moving average is $37.70 and its two-hundred day moving average is $35.97. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. The firm has a market cap of $46.17 billion, a PE ratio of 14.46, a PEG ratio of 6.13 and a beta of 1.05.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The pipeline company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.01. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.20% and a net margin of 29.22%. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.53 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Williams Companies will post 1.83 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams Companies

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Rheos Capital Works Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 59.0% during the 4th quarter. Rheos Capital Works Inc. now owns 660,000 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $22,988,000 after acquiring an additional 245,000 shares during the last quarter. Autumn Glory Partners LLC raised its position in Williams Companies by 28.1% during the 3rd quarter. Autumn Glory Partners LLC now owns 107,609 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $3,625,000 after purchasing an additional 23,579 shares in the last quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in Williams Companies by 35.1% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 9,553,779 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $321,867,000 after purchasing an additional 2,482,331 shares in the last quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. raised its position in Williams Companies by 45.3% during the 3rd quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 6,545,151 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $220,506,000 after purchasing an additional 2,040,993 shares in the last quarter. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its position in Williams Companies by 3,338.2% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 352,104 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $12,264,000 after purchasing an additional 341,863 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.44% of the company's stock.

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.