Kinsale Capital Group Inc. Purchases 15,179 Shares of The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB)

Kinsale Capital Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) by 11.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 150,255 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after acquiring an additional 15,179 shares during the quarter. Williams Companies makes up 2.2% of Kinsale Capital Group Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 12th largest position. Kinsale Capital Group Inc.’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $8,132,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quent Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 3rd quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners bought a new position in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

NYSE:WMB opened at $58.25 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $56.53 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $52.73. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $35.38 and a twelve month high of $61.46. The stock has a market cap of $71.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.83, a PEG ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 1.04. 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) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The pipeline company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 15.85% and a net margin of 21.17%. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.43%. This is a boost from Williams Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 109.29%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on Williams Companies from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Truist Financial raised their target price on Williams Companies from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Barclays raised their target price on Williams Companies from $46.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group raised their target price on Williams Companies from $55.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Scotiabank restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $51.00 target price on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $54.21.

Insider Activity at Williams Companies

In related news, SVP Chad A. Teply sold 26,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.46, for a total transaction of $1,467,960.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 133,048 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,511,890.08. This trade represents a 16.35 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.