Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd Raises Stake in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB)

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in shares of The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) by 152.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 16,142 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,744 shares during the quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $874,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WMB. Quent Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust purchased a new stake in Williams Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Williams Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new stake in Williams Companies in the third quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in Williams Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. 86.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

WMB opened at $59.74 on Friday. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $37.18 and a 52-week high of $61.46. 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 cap of $72.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.64, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 1.03. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $57.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.83.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The pipeline company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting 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, equities analysts anticipate that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Investors of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a $0.50 dividend. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 14th. This is an increase from Williams Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 109.29%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams Companies news, CAO Mary A. Hausman sold 8,896 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.50, for a total value of $511,520.00. Following the sale, the chief accounting officer now owns 22,339 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,284,492.50. This represents a 28.48 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Chad A. Teply sold 26,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.46, for a total value of $1,467,960.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 133,048 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,511,890.08. This represents a 16.35 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 139,583 shares of company stock worth $7,563,278. 0.44% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WMB has been the subject of a number of research reports. Barclays upped their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $46.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Truist Financial upped their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $56.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. CIBC upped their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Scotiabank boosted their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the stock a “sector perform” rating in a report on Thursday, March 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $55.07.

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.