Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) Stock Has Consensus Target Price of $86.35

Shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) have been given an average rating of “Buy” by the twenty-two research firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have assigned a buy rating and three have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $86.35.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on WMB shares. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Williams Companies from $89.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 5th. Capital One Financial started coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $92.00 price target for the company. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $87.00 to $85.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $83.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Tuesday, July 14th.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Wilson sold 13,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.87, for a total value of $973,310.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 268,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,077,064.33. This trade represents a 4.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 19,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,401,430. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WMB. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd boosted its stake in Williams Companies by 13.7% during the third quarter. Ausbil Investment Management Ltd now owns 149,029 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $10,130,000 after buying an additional 17,939 shares in the last quarter. Eastern Bank raised its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 29.5% in the 3rd quarter. Eastern Bank now owns 1,491 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $101,000 after buying an additional 340 shares in the last quarter. CX Institutional raised its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 3.6% in the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 11,098 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $754,000 after buying an additional 389 shares in the last quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 21.2% in the 3rd quarter. GoalVest Advisory LLC now owns 31,330 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $2,129,000 after buying an additional 5,484 shares in the last quarter. Finally, QRG Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 8.0% in the 2nd quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 121,515 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $9,033,000 after buying an additional 9,013 shares in the last quarter. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams Companies Stock Up 0.0%

NYSE:WMB opened at $72.68 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.48, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $72.27 and a 200-day moving average of $73.10. The firm has a market capitalization of $88.90 billion, a PE ratio of 28.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 0.64. Williams Companies has a 52 week low of $56.19 and a 52 week high of $80.07.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The pipeline company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.50. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 25.17%. The business had revenue of $3.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.83 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.46 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. Williams Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.350-2.350 EPS. Analysts predict that Williams Companies will post 2.42 EPS for the current year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, September 28th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 11th were paid a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 11th. Williams Companies’s payout ratio is presently 83.67%.

About Williams Companies

Williams Companies, Inc is an energy infrastructure company focused primarily on the gathering, processing, storage and transportation of natural gas and natural gas liquids. Through its extensive network of pipelines and related facilities, the company connects major U.S. producing regions with utilities, industrial customers, power generators and other energy markets.

Williams’ principal assets include the Transco interstate natural gas pipeline, which serves markets along the U.S. East Coast, as well as gathering and processing operations in regions such as the Appalachian Basin, the Rocky Mountains and the Western United States.