The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) SVP Larry C. Larsen Sells 8,000 Shares

The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) SVP Larry C. Larsen sold 8,000 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.94, for a total value of $455,520.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 81,265 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,627,229.10. The trade was a 8.96 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Williams Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMB traded down $0.23 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $56.08. The stock had a trading volume of 7,835,773 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,856,526. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $36.56 and a 1 year high of $61.46. The company has a market capitalization of $68.38 billion, a PE ratio of 30.64, a P/E/G ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 1.03. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $56.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $53.35.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The pipeline company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.47. Williams Companies had a net margin of 21.17% and a return on equity of 15.85%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.57%. This is a positive change from Williams Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Williams Companies’s payout ratio is 109.29%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Menard Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Sandy Spring Bank acquired a new position in Williams Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently weighed in on the company. CIBC lifted their price target on Williams Companies from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $55.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $46.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $63.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $55.07.

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.