BMO Capital Markets Has Lowered Expectations for Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) Stock Price

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) had its price objective lowered by BMO Capital Markets from $72.00 to $70.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an “outperform” rating on the pipeline company’s stock. BMO Capital Markets’ price objective would indicate a potential upside of 23.92% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Cibc World Mkts upgraded shares of Williams Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Williams Companies from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, October 4th. Argus reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $66.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Thursday, August 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $63.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group initiated coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Thursday, October 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $72.00 price target on the stock. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $67.79.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

Shares of WMB opened at $56.49 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 0.54 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market cap of $68.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.38, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a 50-day moving average of $60.35 and a two-hundred day moving average of $59.40. Williams Companies has a one year low of $51.58 and a one year high of $65.55.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The pipeline company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.51 by ($0.02). Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 21.63%.The company had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.87 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.43 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Williams Companies will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams Companies

In related news, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.47, for a total transaction of $263,115.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 77,612 shares in the company, valued at $4,537,973.64. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.62, for a total transaction of $115,240.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 311,645 shares in the company, valued at approximately $17,956,984.90. This trade represents a 0.64% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Chapin Davis Inc. lifted its position in Williams Companies by 1.6% during the 2nd quarter. Chapin Davis Inc. now owns 10,955 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $688,000 after buying an additional 170 shares in the last quarter. Wallace Advisory Group LLC lifted its position in Williams Companies by 2.6% during the 2nd quarter. Wallace Advisory Group LLC now owns 7,031 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $420,000 after buying an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. LRI Investments LLC raised its holdings in Williams Companies by 8.8% during the 3rd quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 2,169 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $137,000 after purchasing an additional 176 shares during the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. raised its holdings in Williams Companies by 2.2% during the 2nd quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 8,177 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $514,000 after purchasing an additional 179 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TrueWealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Williams Companies by 0.7% during the 2nd quarter. TrueWealth Advisors LLC now owns 24,823 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $1,559,000 after purchasing an additional 182 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

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.