The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) is Equity Investment Corp's 9th Largest Position

Equity Investment Corp trimmed its stake in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,103,317 shares of the pipeline company's stock after selling 25,033 shares during the period. Williams Companies comprises about 3.0% of Equity Investment Corp's investment portfolio, making the stock its 9th biggest position. Equity Investment Corp owned about 0.26% of Williams Companies worth $108,089,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WMB. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. CGC Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $35,000. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in Williams Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $41,000. CVA Family Office LLC bought a new position in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $52,000. Finally, Salem Investment Counselors Inc. increased its holdings in Williams Companies by 121.1% during the fourth quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 1,658 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $58,000 after buying an additional 908 shares during the period. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Williams Companies

In related news, SVP Debbie L. Pickle sold 38,200 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.61, for a total value of $1,513,102.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 60,410 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,392,840.10. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMB traded up $0.32 on Friday, reaching $41.27. 6,117,069 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,216,499. The company has a current ratio of 0.52, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62. The company has a 50-day moving average of $38.66 and a 200-day moving average of $36.36. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $28.27 and a 1-year high of $41.35. The firm has a market cap of $50.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.44 and a beta of 1.05.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 6th. The pipeline company reported $0.59 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.49 by $0.10. The business had revenue of $2.77 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.69 billion. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.27% and a net margin of 27.29%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 10.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.56 EPS. Equities analysts forecast that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 1.82 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be paid a $0.475 dividend. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.60%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 7th. Williams Companies's payout ratio is 79.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on WMB shares. Wolfe Research reiterated an "underperform" rating and issued a $34.00 target price on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Thursday, April 18th. CIBC raised their target price on Williams Companies from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 8th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Wells Fargo & Company 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 research note on Friday, May 10th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $39.73.

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.