Graypoint LLC Grows Holdings in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB)

Graypoint LLC raised its holdings in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) by 14.9% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,573 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,756 shares during the period. Graypoint LLC’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $577,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter valued at $27,000. Fairman Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the 1st quarter valued at about $46,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $50,000. 86.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Williams Companies Trading Up 0.6 %

NYSE WMB opened at $45.77 on Monday. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $32.49 and a 1-year high of $45.81. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $43.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $40.35. 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 company has a market capitalization of $55.78 billion, a PE ratio of 19.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.29 and a beta of 1.05.

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

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.475 dividend. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.15%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. Williams Companies’s payout ratio is presently 79.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $40.00 to $43.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. Scotiabank raised their price objective on Williams Companies from $43.00 to $48.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 8th. Barclays boosted their target price on Williams Companies from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Williams Companies from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Finally, CIBC boosted their price objective on Williams Companies from $38.00 to $39.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $42.83.

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.