Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. Purchases 89,406 Shares of The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB)

Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its position in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 1,007.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 98,284 shares of the pipeline company's stock after buying an additional 89,406 shares during the quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc.'s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $3,423,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Carmel Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the third quarter valued at approximately $31,000. CGC Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in Williams Companies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, CVA Family Office LLC bought a new stake in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $52,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMB traded up $0.13 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $38.67. 4,420,828 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,587,367. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.12 billion, a PE ratio of 14.76, a PEG ratio of 6.05 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a quick ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $28.27 and a 52 week high of $39.76. The company's 50 day moving average price is $37.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $36.00.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 14th. The pipeline company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 previous year, the company posted $0.53 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 1.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 24th. Investors of record on Friday, June 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.475 per share. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.91%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 7th. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 72.52%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on WMB. US Capital Advisors lowered Williams Companies from an "overweight" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, April 29th. Wolfe Research reaffirmed an "underperform" rating and set a $34.00 target price on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Thursday, April 18th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $39.22.

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.