Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Decreases Stock Holdings in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lessened its holdings in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) by 0.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 3,072,230 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 20,918 shares during the period. Williams Companies accounts for approximately 1.6% of Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 10th largest holding. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. owned approximately 0.25% of Williams Companies worth $194,626,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WMB. Private Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams Companies by 104.8% during the 2nd quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 469 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC bought a new position in Williams Companies in the second quarter valued at $29,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new stake in Williams Companies during the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new stake in Williams Companies during the second quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Williams Companies

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 4,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.53, for a total transaction of $242,120.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 302,645 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $18,319,101.85. The trade was a 1.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 8,000 shares of company stock worth $498,700. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Williams Companies Trading Up 1.5%

NYSE WMB opened at $67.95 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $82.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.65. Williams Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.58 and a fifty-two week high of $68.94. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $61.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $60.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.42.

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. This is an increase from Williams Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 103.09%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WMB shares. BMO Capital Markets dropped their target price on Williams Companies from $72.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Williams Companies from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Zacks Research upgraded Williams Companies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.64.

About Williams Companies

Williams Companies, Inc (NYSE: WMB) is a U.S.-based energy infrastructure company focused on the midstream segment of the natural gas value chain. The company develops, owns and operates assets that gather, process, transport and store natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs). Its operations support the movement of gas from production areas to end users including utilities, power generators, industrial customers and export facilities.

Williams’s product and service offering includes interstate and intrastate pipeline transmission, gas-gathering systems, processing facilities that remove impurities and separate NGLs, storage services and fractionation and transportation of NGL products.