Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Purchases 234,423 Shares of The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. boosted its position in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) by 2.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,425,933 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after purchasing an additional 234,423 shares during the period. Williams Companies accounts for about 2.4% of Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 8th biggest holding. Bahl & Gaynor Inc. owned about 0.69% of Williams Companies worth $456,012,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Quent Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust bought a new position in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Compass Planning Associates Inc bought a new stake in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

Williams Companies Stock Down 1.1 %

Williams Companies stock opened at $57.52 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.50 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. The company has a market capitalization of $70.14 billion, a PE ratio of 31.43, a PEG ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 1.04. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $56.60 and its 200 day moving average is $52.89. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $35.74 and a 12-month high of $61.46.

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

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be paid a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.48%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 14th. This is a boost from Williams Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 109.29%.

Insider Activity

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Chad A. Teply sold 26,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $56.46, for a total value of $1,467,960.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 133,048 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,511,890.08. This trade represents a 16.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Scotiabank reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $51.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Friday, January 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on Williams Companies from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Truist Financial increased their price target on Williams Companies from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Barclays lifted their price objective on Williams Companies from $46.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $55.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, November 15th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $54.21.

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.