The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) Shares Sold by Procyon Advisors LLC

Procyon Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) by 3.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 143,889 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 5,004 shares during the quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $5,607,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP acquired a new position in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Fairman Group LLC purchased a new stake in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Finally, CGC Financial Services LLC purchased a new stake in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $35,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMB traded down $0.05 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $42.24. 4,534,607 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,710,591. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $31.45 and a fifty-two week high of $43.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.62, a current ratio of 0.52 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The firm has a market cap of $51.48 billion, a PE ratio of 17.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.73 and a beta of 1.05. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $40.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $37.47.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last issued its earnings results on Monday, May 6th. The pipeline company reported $0.59 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49 by $0.10. Williams Companies had a net margin of 27.29% and a return on equity of 16.27%. The firm had revenue of $2.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.69 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.56 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 1.85 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 7th were paid a dividend of $0.475 per share. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.50%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, June 7th. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 79.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Argus raised Williams Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, June 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Williams Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $38.00 to $46.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 4th. Wolfe Research reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $34.00 price objective on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. US Capital Advisors cut shares of Williams Companies from an “overweight” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $41.42.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams Companies

In other news, SVP Debbie L. Pickle sold 38,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $39.61, for a total transaction of $1,513,102.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 60,410 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,392,840.10. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

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.