Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) Hits New 1-Year High – Still a Buy?

The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $60.52 and last traded at $60.41, with a volume of 2285028 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $59.14.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. CIBC boosted their price objective on Williams Companies from $45.00 to $54.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Thursday, October 17th. They set a “buy” rating and a $55.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group raised their target price on Williams Companies from $55.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Williams Companies from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Williams Companies from $46.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, January 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $53.00.

Williams Companies Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $73.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.49, a PEG ratio of 5.30 and a beta of 1.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.51, a current ratio of 0.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $56.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $49.92.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 6th. The pipeline company reported $0.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.42 by $0.01. Williams Companies had a net margin of 27.36% and a return on equity of 15.89%. The firm had revenue of $2.65 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.52 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.45 EPS. Williams Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 1.92 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 30th. Investors of record on Friday, December 13th were issued a $0.475 dividend. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.15%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, December 13th. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 80.17%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams Companies

In other news, CAO Mary A. Hausman sold 7,951 shares of the firm’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. This trade represents a 23.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.44% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams Companies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Blair William & Co. IL boosted its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 26.3% in the second quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 47,669 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $2,026,000 after acquiring an additional 9,918 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Williams Companies by 47.8% during the 2nd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 35,960 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $1,528,000 after purchasing an additional 11,627 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Williams Companies by 1.1% during the 2nd quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 86,692 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $3,684,000 after purchasing an additional 912 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 10.1% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,031,453 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $43,840,000 after buying an additional 94,604 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Summit Trail Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 38.1% in the second quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 13,324 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $566,000 after buying an additional 3,678 shares during the period. 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.