The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) Shares Sold by Forte Capital LLC ADV

Forte Capital LLC ADV lessened its holdings in shares of The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) by 1.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 70,216 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 859 shares during the period. Forte Capital LLC ADV’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $3,800,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new stake in Williams Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Financial Life Planners acquired a new stake in Williams Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. acquired a new stake in Williams Companies in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

Shares of WMB opened at $58.46 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The firm has a market cap of $71.27 billion, a PE ratio of 31.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.00 and a beta of 1.04. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $56.09 and its 200-day simple moving average is $52.07. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $34.13 and a 12-month high of $61.46.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The pipeline company reported $0.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47. Williams Companies had a net margin of 21.17% and a return on equity of 15.85%. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current year.

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be given a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.42%. This is a positive change from Williams Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 103.83%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMB has been the topic of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Mizuho raised their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $47.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $55.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 15th. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $46.00 to $56.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $51.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Friday, January 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $53.29.

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.