Czech National Bank Boosts Stake in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB)

Czech National Bank increased its stake in shares of The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) by 6.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 264,306 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after buying an additional 15,997 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $14,304,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Williams Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $30,000. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton increased its holdings in Williams Companies by 50.4% in the 3rd quarter. Rosenberg Matthew Hamilton now owns 752 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 252 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Williams Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, FSA Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the 3rd quarter valued at $38,000. 86.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams Companies Trading Up 0.9 %

WMB stock opened at $56.01 on Tuesday. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $32.65 and a 12-month high of $60.36. The business’s 50-day moving average is $55.85 and its 200 day moving average is $49.35. The company has a current ratio of 0.57, a quick ratio of 0.51 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The stock has a market cap of $68.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.63, a PEG ratio of 5.60 and a beta of 1.06.

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

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 13th were paid a $0.475 dividend. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.39%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 80.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams Companies news, CAO Mary A. Hausman sold 7,951 shares of the business’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 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 SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on WMB shares. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Williams Companies from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Bank of America began coverage on Williams Companies in a report on Thursday, October 17th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $55.00 price target for the company. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $55.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $45.00 to $52.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $53.00.

Williams Companies 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.