Catalina Capital Group LLC Boosts Stock Position in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB)

Catalina Capital Group LLC boosted its position in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) by 8.2% in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 7,535 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after purchasing an additional 572 shares during the quarter. Catalina Capital Group LLC’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $320,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Western Pacific Wealth Management LP acquired a new stake in Williams Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Williams Companies during the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Fairman Group LLC purchased a new stake in Williams Companies in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp acquired a new stake in Williams Companies in the first quarter worth about $46,000. Finally, EntryPoint Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the first quarter valued at about $50,000. 86.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. US Capital Advisors downgraded shares of Williams Companies from an “overweight” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Argus raised Williams Companies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 20th. Scotiabank increased their price objective on Williams Companies from $43.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Barclays raised their price objective on Williams Companies from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 19th. Finally, Seaport Res Ptn downgraded shares of Williams Companies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Williams Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $42.83.

Williams Companies Price Performance

NYSE WMB traded up $0.62 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $45.29. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,351,233 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,499,317. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64, a current ratio of 0.45 and a quick ratio of 0.39. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $32.49 and a 1-year high of $45.35. The company’s 50-day moving average is $42.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $39.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.03, a P/E/G ratio of 6.09 and a beta of 1.05.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 5th. The pipeline company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $2.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.46 billion. Williams Companies had a net margin of 27.11% and a return on equity of 16.17%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.42 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 1.92 EPS for the current year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a $0.475 dividend. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.20%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 79.83%.

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.