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

The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) saw a significant increase in short interest during the month of September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 27,140,000 shares, an increase of 27.1% from the August 31st total of 21,360,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 5,510,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 4.9 days.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

Williams Companies stock traded up $0.42 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $45.16. The stock had a trading volume of 4,605,336 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,306,168. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.04 billion, a PE ratio of 18.97, a P/E/G ratio of 6.32 and a beta of 1.05. Williams Companies has a 12 month low of $32.49 and a 12 month high of $46.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.39, a current ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.64. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $44.31 and its 200 day moving average price is $41.63.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 5th. The pipeline company reported $0.43 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.38 by $0.05. Williams Companies had a net margin of 27.11% and a return on equity of 16.17%. The company had revenue of $2.34 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.46 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.42 EPS. Williams Companies’s revenue was down 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Williams Companies will post 1.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 30th. Investors of record on Friday, September 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.475 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 13th. This represents a $1.90 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.21%. Williams Companies’s payout ratio is 79.83%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on WMB shares. Scotiabank increased their price target on Williams Companies from $43.00 to $48.00 and gave the company a “sector perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Williams Companies from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their price target for the company from $38.00 to $46.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $45.00 to $48.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, June 10th. Seaport Res Ptn downgraded Williams Companies from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 30th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Williams Companies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $43.50.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Williams Companies by 2.8% during the second quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. now owns 9,298 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $395,000 after buying an additional 257 shares during the period. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. boosted its holdings in Williams Companies by 0.8% in the 2nd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 31,206 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $1,326,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC boosted its holdings in Williams Companies by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 22,683 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $884,000 after purchasing an additional 274 shares during the period. Everett Harris & Co. CA grew its position in shares of Williams Companies by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. Everett Harris & Co. CA now owns 15,175 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $591,000 after purchasing an additional 275 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Schulhoff & Co. Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 1.6% in the first quarter. Schulhoff & Co. Inc. now owns 17,883 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $697,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the period. 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.