Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) Share Price Crosses Above 200-Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB)’s stock price passed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Thursday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $48.58 and traded as high as $55.96. Williams Companies shares last traded at $55.88, with a volume of 5,906,129 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on WMB shares. CIBC upped their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 22nd. Barclays raised their target price on Williams Companies from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 2nd. Bank of America initiated coverage on Williams Companies in a research report on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $55.00 price target for the company. Royal Bank of Canada raised their price target on Williams Companies from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. One equities research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $52.07.

Williams Companies Price Performance

The company has a market cap of $68.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.58, a PEG ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a current ratio of 0.57 and a quick ratio of 0.51. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $55.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $48.58.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 6th. The pipeline company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $2.65 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 15.89% and a net margin of 27.36%. Williams Companies’s revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.45 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 1.92 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th were given a $0.475 dividend. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.40%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 80.17%.

Insider Activity at Williams Companies

In related news, CAO Mary A. Hausman sold 7,951 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,455,805.40. The trade was a 23.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.44% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams Companies

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the third quarter worth approximately $30,000. SouthState Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton grew its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 50.4% during the 3rd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 752 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Williams Companies in the second quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in Williams Companies in the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors 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.