The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) Shares Bought by Cetera Advisor Networks LLC

Cetera Advisor Networks LLC boosted its holdings in shares of The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) by 8.3% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 302,209 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after buying an additional 23,144 shares during the period. Cetera Advisor Networks LLC’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $9,861,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMB. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 1.1% during the second quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,642,310 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $216,739,000 after purchasing an additional 70,050 shares during the period. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the second quarter worth about $287,000. Cetera Investment Advisers lifted its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 7.4% during the second quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 201,514 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $6,575,000 after purchasing an additional 13,834 shares during the period. Summit X LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 10.3% during the second quarter. Summit X LLC now owns 24,456 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $798,000 after purchasing an additional 2,277 shares during the period. Finally, Burney Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the second quarter worth about $1,432,000. 85.76% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams Companies Stock Up 2.0 %

Shares of WMB opened at $35.43 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.59, a quick ratio of 0.72 and a current ratio of 0.77. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $27.80 and a one year high of $36.32. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.10 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.89, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 1.14. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $34.55 and a 200 day moving average price of $33.01.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 1st. The pipeline company reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.40 by $0.05. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.90% and a net margin of 24.52%. The firm had revenue of $2.56 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.63 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.48 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 15.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.03 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, December 26th. Shareholders of record on Friday, December 8th will be issued a $0.4475 dividend. This represents a $1.79 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.05%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, December 7th. Williams Companies’s payout ratio is currently 80.27%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on WMB shares. Mizuho lifted their target price on Williams Companies from $40.00 to $41.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 22nd. TD Securities decreased their price target on Williams Companies from $39.00 to $38.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 4th. StockNews.com started coverage on Williams Companies in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a “hold” rating for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on Williams Companies in a report on Thursday, October 5th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $35.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Williams Companies from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 29th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $36.33.

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 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.