Truist Financial Boosts Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) Price Target to $40.00

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) had its price objective lifted by Truist Financial from $35.00 to $40.00 in a research note published on Monday morning, Benzinga reports. Truist Financial currently has a hold rating on the pipeline company’s stock.

WMB has been the topic of several other research reports. Mizuho raised their price target on Williams Companies from $41.00 to $43.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, December 7th. UBS Group raised their price objective on Williams Companies from $41.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Thursday, February 15th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams Companies has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $38.09.

Williams Companies Price Performance

NYSE WMB opened at $38.95 on Monday. Williams Companies has a one year low of $28.27 and a one year high of $39.09. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $35.50 and a 200 day moving average of $35.15. The company has a market capitalization of $47.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.87, a PEG ratio of 6.05 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.57, a quick ratio of 0.73 and a current ratio of 0.77.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 14th. The pipeline company reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.01. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.20% and a net margin of 29.22%. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.53 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Williams Companies will post 1.8 EPS for the current year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 15th were paid a $0.475 dividend. This represents a $1.90 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.88%. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 72.52%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams Companies

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WMB. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC purchased a new stake in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $1,337,000. Fairman Group LLC purchased a new stake in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in Williams Companies by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 331,141 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $11,534,000 after purchasing an additional 7,668 shares during the period. Addis & Hill Inc purchased a new stake in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $504,000. Finally, Grayhawk Investment Strategies Inc. purchased a new stake in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $376,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

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.