The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) Shares Sold by Scott & Selber Inc.

Scott & Selber Inc. trimmed its stake in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) by 2.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 101,344 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 2,411 shares during the quarter. Williams Companies makes up 1.7% of Scott & Selber Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Scott & Selber Inc.’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $5,485,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new position in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the third quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 86.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams Companies Stock Down 1.1 %

WMB opened at $57.52 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $70.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.50. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $56.60 and a 200 day moving average price of $52.89. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $35.74 and a twelve month high of $61.46.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 12th. The pipeline company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.47. Williams Companies had a net margin of 21.17% and a return on equity of 15.85%. Research analysts forecast that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current year.

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.48%. This is a positive change from Williams Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 109.29%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Chad A. Teply sold 26,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.46, for a total value of $1,467,960.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 133,048 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,511,890.08. This trade represents a 16.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on Williams Companies from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Scotiabank reissued a “sector perform” rating and issued a $51.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Friday, January 10th. Truist Financial raised their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group upped their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $55.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 15th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $63.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $54.21.

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.