Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Barclays Analyst Says

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) had its price target boosted by research analysts at Barclays from $46.00 to $56.00 in a research report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an “equal weight” rating on the pipeline company’s stock. Barclays‘s price target suggests a potential upside of 0.70% from the company’s current price.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on WMB. Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. UBS Group increased their price objective on Williams Companies from $55.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Mizuho boosted their target price on Williams Companies from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, November 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Williams Companies from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Williams Companies in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $55.00 price target for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $53.00.

Williams Companies Price Performance

WMB opened at $55.61 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.46, a PEG ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 1.06. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $55.77 and a 200-day moving average of $49.21. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. Williams Companies has a 12-month low of $32.65 and a 12-month high of $60.36.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The pipeline company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.01. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 15.89% and a net margin of 27.36%. The firm had revenue of $2.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.45 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts forecast that Williams Companies will post 1.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Williams Companies

In related news, CAO Mary A. Hausman sold 7,951 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, November 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.30, for a total transaction of $447,641.30. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now directly owns 25,858 shares in the company, valued at $1,455,805.40. The trade was a 23.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Williams Companies

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $30,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton lifted its stake in Williams Companies by 50.4% during the third quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 752 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Williams Companies during the second quarter worth about $34,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

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.