The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) Shares Sold by Sentry Investment Management LLC

Sentry Investment Management LLC lowered its holdings in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) by 25.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,920 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 1,369 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $212,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in Williams Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Compass Planning Associates Inc acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Williams Companies Trading Down 2.1 %

Williams Companies stock opened at $56.13 on Wednesday. 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 12 month low of $34.54 and a 12 month high of $61.46. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $56.26 and its 200-day simple moving average is $52.50. The stock has a market cap of $68.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.67, a P/E/G ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 1.05.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The pipeline company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 15.85% and a net margin of 21.17%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. 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 3.56%. This is an increase from Williams Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 109.29%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMB has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price target on Williams Companies from $55.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. Truist Financial raised their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. Scotiabank restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $51.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Friday, January 10th. Mizuho upped their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $46.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 10th. One research 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $54.21.

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.