The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) Shares Sold by Sumitomo Life Insurance Co.

Sumitomo Life Insurance Co. decreased its position in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) by 4.6% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 30,176 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 1,453 shares during the period. Sumitomo Life Insurance Co.’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $1,051,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. FSC Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Williams Companies during the third quarter worth about $27,000. HWG Holdings LP purchased a new position in Williams Companies during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. lifted its position in Williams Companies by 52.5% during the second quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 915 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 315 shares during the period. Finally, Carmel Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Williams Companies during the third quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

Williams Companies stock opened at $37.84 on Tuesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $36.65 and its 200-day moving average is $35.59. The company has a market cap of $46.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.05 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a current ratio of 0.77 and a quick ratio of 0.73. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $28.27 and a 12 month high of $39.76.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The pipeline company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.01. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.20% and a net margin of 29.22%. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.53 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 1.8 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.475 dividend. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.02%. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 72.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on WMB shares. UBS Group increased their target price on Williams Companies from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday. Truist Financial increased their target price on Williams Companies from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, March 25th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Williams Companies from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Six 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 has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $39.00.

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 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.