The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) Sees Large Drop in Short Interest

The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) saw a large decrease in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 21,200,000 shares, a decrease of 21.9% from the September 15th total of 27,140,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 5,710,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 3.7 days.

Williams Companies Trading Down 0.2 %

Williams Companies stock traded down $0.12 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $50.90. 5,428,900 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,288,350. The company has a current ratio of 0.45, a quick ratio of 0.39 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm has a market cap of $62.03 billion, a PE ratio of 21.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.89 and a beta of 1.05. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $45.79 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $42.63. Williams Companies has a 12-month low of $32.65 and a 12-month high of $51.19.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 5th. The pipeline company reported $0.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $2.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.46 billion. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.17% and a net margin of 27.11%. Williams Companies’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.42 EPS. Research analysts expect that Williams Companies will post 1.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, September 13th were given a $0.475 dividend. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, September 13th. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 79.83%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMB has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Truist Financial increased their price target on Williams Companies from $40.00 to $42.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Morgan Stanley upgraded Williams Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $52.00 to $58.00 in a report on Friday, October 4th. Barclays increased their price target on Williams Companies from $42.00 to $46.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 2nd. UBS Group increased their price target on Williams Companies from $51.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 18th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Williams Companies from $45.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $46.08.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams Companies

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.29, for a total value of $90,580.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 304,200 shares in the company, valued at $13,777,218. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.44% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams Companies

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WMB. Rise Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 1st quarter worth about $27,000. Fairman Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. SouthState Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 2nd quarter worth about $31,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 2nd quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.