Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) Sets New 12-Month Low - Here's Why

The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $57.60 and last traded at $58.59, with a volume of 7479823 shares. The stock had previously closed at $59.67.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMB has been the topic of several recent research reports. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Williams Companies from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on Williams Companies from $63.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Williams Companies currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $57.77.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

The company's 50-day moving average is $57.77 and its two-hundred day moving average is $56.48. The company has a market capitalization of $73.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.79, a PEG ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.87. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The pipeline company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.47. Williams Companies had a net margin of 21.17% and a return on equity of 15.85%. Equities analysts anticipate that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.33%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, June 13th. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 109.29%.

Insider Activity

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Chad A. Teply sold 26,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.46, for a total transaction of $1,467,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 133,048 shares in the company, valued at $7,511,890.08. This represents a 16.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Mary A. Hausman sold 8,896 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.50, for a total value of $511,520.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 22,339 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,284,492.50. This represents a 28.48 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 139,583 shares of company stock worth $7,563,278. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams Companies

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Menard Financial Group LLC bought a new stake in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.