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Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) Short Interest Update

Williams Companies logo with Energy background

Key Points

  • Williams Companies saw a significant increase in short interest for July, rising by 292.6% to a total of 14.76 million shares.
  • Brokerages have raised their price targets for Williams Companies, with TD Cowen setting a new target of $67.00 and Scotiabank increasing theirs to $60.00, contributing to a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy".
  • The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.50 per share, reflecting an annualized yield of 3.3%, with the ex-dividend date set for September 12th.
  • Interested in Williams Companies? Here are five stocks we like better.

Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) was the recipient of a large growth in short interest in the month of July. As of July 15th, there was short interest totaling 14,760,000 shares, agrowthof292.6% from the June 30th total of 3,760,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 7,680,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days. Based on an average trading volume of 7,680,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.9 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on WMB. Wolfe Research raised shares of Williams Companies from an "underperform" rating to a "peer perform" rating in a research report on Friday, June 13th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $59.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. TD Cowen began coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Monday, July 7th. They set a "buy" rating and a $67.00 price target on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $64.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 28th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $63.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $61.77.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Williams Companies

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.70, for a total transaction of $125,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 315,645 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,790,941.50. The trade was 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. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams Companies

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Nuveen LLC acquired a new stake in Williams Companies in the 1st quarter valued at about $335,419,000. Blackstone Inc. raised its holdings in Williams Companies by 36.5% in the 4th quarter. Blackstone Inc. now owns 18,954,088 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $1,025,795,000 after acquiring an additional 5,068,738 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Williams Companies by 45.0% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 11,339,078 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $677,623,000 after acquiring an additional 3,519,370 shares during the period. Marshall Wace LLP increased its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 2,303.2% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 3,517,336 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $190,358,000 after purchasing an additional 3,370,974 shares during the period. Finally, Bahl & Gaynor Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 34.0% during the first quarter. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. now owns 11,287,921 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $674,566,000 after purchasing an additional 2,861,988 shares during the period. 86.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Williams Companies Trading Up 0.5%

WMB opened at $60.27 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $73.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.23, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.66. Williams Companies has a 12 month low of $40.41 and a 12 month high of $63.45. The firm's fifty day simple moving average is $59.44 and its 200 day simple moving average is $58.29. The company has a current ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.63.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The pipeline company reported $0.60 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.55 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $3.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.90 billion. Williams Companies had a net margin of 21.18% and a return on equity of 15.95%. The firm's revenue was up 10.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.59 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Williams Companies will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 12th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 12th. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.3%. Williams Companies's payout ratio is 106.95%.

Williams Companies Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.

Further Reading

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.

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