Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) Given Consensus Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fourteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $61.7692.

WMB has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Williams Companies from $59.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Williams Companies from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $63.00 price objective on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. TD Cowen initiated coverage on Williams Companies in a research note on Monday, July 7th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $67.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Williams Companies from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a report on Friday, June 13th.

Williams Companies Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE WMB opened at $57.89 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $70.59 billion, a PE ratio of 29.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 0.66. Williams Companies has a 1-year low of $42.79 and a 1-year high of $63.45. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $59.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $58.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.54, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 4th. The pipeline company reported $0.46 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.49 by ($0.03). The business had revenue of $2.78 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.90 billion. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 21.63%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.43 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Williams Companies will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Investors of record on Friday, September 12th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 12th. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 100.50%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams Companies

In related news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $59.68, for a total value of $119,360.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams Companies

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ibex Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 1.9% in the second quarter. Ibex Wealth Advisors now owns 346,789 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $21,782,000 after buying an additional 6,502 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the second quarter valued at about $2,591,000. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in Williams Companies by 50.2% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 96,993 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $6,092,000 after purchasing an additional 32,403 shares during the period. Americana Partners LLC lifted its stake in Williams Companies by 0.8% during the second quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 445,017 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $27,952,000 after purchasing an additional 3,354 shares during the period. Finally, BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. lifted its stake in Williams Companies by 1,989.5% during the second quarter. BOK Financial Private Wealth Inc. now owns 7,940 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $499,000 after purchasing an additional 7,560 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.44% 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.

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