Synergy Investment Management LLC Invests $44,000 in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB)

Synergy Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 808 shares of the pipeline company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,000.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Quent Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Bank of Jackson Hole Trust acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. AlphaMark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Compass Planning Associates Inc acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Financial Life Planners acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMB has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup upped their target price on Williams Companies from $63.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Royal Bank of Canada upped their target price on Williams Companies from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Williams Companies from $45.00 to $55.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 26th. Scotiabank restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $51.00 target price on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Friday, January 10th. Finally, CIBC upped their target price on Williams Companies from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams Companies has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $54.93.

Insider Transactions at Williams Companies

In related news, CAO Mary A. Hausman sold 8,896 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.50, for a total value of $511,520.00. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer now owns 22,339 shares in the company, valued at $1,284,492.50. This trade represents a 28.48 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Chad A. Teply sold 26,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, 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. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Williams Companies Price Performance

Shares of WMB stock opened at $56.31 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $56.68 and its 200-day moving average is $53.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $68.66 billion, a PE ratio of 30.77, a PEG ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 1.03. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $35.74 and a 52 week high of $61.46.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The pipeline company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.47. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 15.85% and a net margin of 21.17%. Equities research analysts expect that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.55%. 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 is presently 109.29%.

Williams Companies Profile

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.