Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) Hits New 1-Year High After Analyst Upgrade

The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) shares hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Wednesday after UBS Group raised their price target on the stock from $51.00 to $55.00. UBS Group currently has a buy rating on the stock. Williams Companies traded as high as $45.81 and last traded at $45.78, with a volume of 137033 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $45.53.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on WMB. Argus upgraded shares of Williams Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 20th. StockNews.com cut shares of Williams Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Williams Companies from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Barclays increased their target price on Williams Companies from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, August 19th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their price target on Williams Companies from $43.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $43.50.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams Companies

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMB. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Williams Companies by 162.0% during the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 8,843 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $376,000 after buying an additional 5,468 shares during the period. Sanctuary Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the second quarter worth $12,488,000. New Wave Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the second quarter valued at $325,000. Next Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the second quarter valued at about $221,000. Finally, EP Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Williams Companies by 12.3% in the second quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 11,607 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $493,000 after purchasing an additional 1,267 shares during the period. 86.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams Companies Stock Up 0.2 %

The stock has a market cap of $55.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.24 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $43.91 and its 200-day moving average is $41.20.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 5th. The pipeline company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $2.34 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.46 billion. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.17% and a net margin of 27.11%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.42 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 1.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 13th will be given a dividend of $0.475 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.17%. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 79.83%.

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.