First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA Grows Holdings in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB)

First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA raised its position in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) by 2.1% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 20,148 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after buying an additional 417 shares during the period. First Commonwealth Financial Corp PA’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $657,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Achmea Investment Management B.V. grew its holdings in Williams Companies by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. now owns 101,345 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $3,307,000 after acquiring an additional 2,179 shares in the last quarter. Aspire Private Capital LLC bought a new position in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,029,697,000. Czech National Bank grew its position in shares of Williams Companies by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 144,209 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $4,706,000 after acquiring an additional 722 shares in the last quarter. Courier Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,883,000. Finally, Level Four Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Williams Companies by 7.4% during the second quarter. Level Four Advisory Services LLC now owns 15,232 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $497,000 after purchasing an additional 1,053 shares during the last quarter. 85.76% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams Companies Price Performance

Williams Companies stock traded up $0.68 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $35.43. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 9,538,039 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,289,149. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $27.80 and a 12 month high of $36.32. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $34.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $33.01. The company has a market capitalization of $43.10 billion, a PE ratio of 15.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 1st. The pipeline company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $2.56 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.63 billion. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.90% and a net margin of 24.52%. Williams Companies’s revenue was down 15.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.48 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 26th. Investors of record on Friday, December 8th will be given a $0.4475 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, December 7th. This represents a $1.79 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.05%. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 80.27%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WMB has been the subject of several recent research reports. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 29th. TD Securities cut their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 4th. Barclays upped their target price on Williams Companies from $35.00 to $37.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on Williams Companies in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $35.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on Williams Companies from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 22nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams Companies currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $36.33.

Williams Companies Company 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 Transco and Northwest natural gas pipelines; and natural gas gathering and processing, and crude oil production handling and transportation assets in the Gulf Coast region, as well as various petrochemical and feedstock pipelines.