New York Life Investment Management LLC Has $6.62 Million Position in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB)

New York Life Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) by 30.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 190,040 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 84,160 shares during the period. New York Life Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $6,619,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Essex Financial Services Inc. raised its position in Williams Companies by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 17,404 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $606,000 after purchasing an additional 687 shares in the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC grew its stake in Williams Companies by 9.4% during the fourth quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 11,369 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $396,000 after buying an additional 979 shares during the last quarter. Certuity LLC bought a new stake in Williams Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $207,000. Norden Group LLC grew its stake in Williams Companies by 59.0% during the fourth quarter. Norden Group LLC now owns 17,377 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $605,000 after buying an additional 6,451 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. grew its stake in Williams Companies by 7.0% during the fourth quarter. Duff & Phelps Investment Management Co. now owns 2,339,696 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $81,492,000 after buying an additional 152,604 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

Williams Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WMB opened at $38.54 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $37.77 and a 200-day moving average of $35.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.96 billion, a PE ratio of 14.71, a PEG ratio of 5.95 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 12 month low of $28.27 and a 12 month high of $39.76.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The pipeline company reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.01. Williams Companies had a net margin of 29.22% and a return on equity of 16.20%. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.53 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 1.82 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 24th. Shareholders of record on Friday, June 7th will be issued a dividend of $0.475 per share. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.93%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, June 7th. Williams Companies’s payout ratio is 72.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on WMB. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $43.00 to $47.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 12th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $35.00 to $40.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, March 25th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $37.00 to $38.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. US Capital Advisors lowered shares of Williams Companies from an “overweight” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Wolfe Research restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $34.00 price objective on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Thursday, April 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams Companies presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $39.22.

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.