Prudential PLC raised its holdings in The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB) by 28.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 306,133 shares of the pipeline company's stock after acquiring an additional 67,803 shares during the quarter. Prudential PLC's holdings in Williams Companies were worth $16,568,000 as of its most recent SEC filing. Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the business. The Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new position in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth $720,000. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Williams Companies by 13.8% during the fourth quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 162,799 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $8,811,000 after acquiring an additional 19,782 shares during the last quarter. Golden State Equity Partners boosted its holdings in Williams Companies by 319.9% in the fourth quarter. Golden State Equity Partners now owns 12,038 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $651,000 after acquiring an additional 9,171 shares during the last quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC increased its position in Williams Companies by 81.4% during the 4th quarter. Cornerstone Wealth Group LLC now owns 185,920 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $10,062,000 after purchasing an additional 83,429 shares during the period. Finally, Myriad Asset Management US LP bought a new position in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $995,000. Institutional investors own 86.44% of the company's stock. Shares of traded down $4.42 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $54.61. The company's stock had a trading volume of 18,979,148 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,574,236. The Williams Companies, Inc. has a 52-week low of $37.18 and a 52-week high of $61.67. The stock has a market cap of $66.59 billion, a PE ratio of 29.84, a P/E/G ratio of 5.01 and a beta of 0.87. The company's fifty-day moving average price is $57.25 and its two-hundred-day moving average price is $55.09. The company has a current ratio of 0.50, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.67. Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, analysts predict that The Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Williams Companies Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 31st. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 14th were paid a dividend of $0.50 per share. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 14th. This is a positive change from Williams Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.48. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio is 109.29%. Insider Transactions at Williams Companies In other Williams Companies news, COO sold 96,687 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $53.04, for a total value of $5,128,278.48. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 714,693 shares in the company, valued at approximately $37,907,316.72. The trade was a 11.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through. Also, SVP sold 26,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $56.46, for a total transaction of $1,467,960.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 133,048 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,511,890.08. This represents a 16.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 139,583 shares of company stock worth $7,563,278. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock. Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Barclays boosted their price target on Williams Companies from $56.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an \"equal weight\" rating in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $58.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an \"overweight\" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Scotiabank lifted their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $51.00 to $53.00 and gave the company a \"sector perform\" rating in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Royal Bank of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an \"outperform\" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, CIBC boosted their target price on Williams Companies from $56.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a \"neutral\" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of \"Hold\" and a consensus target price of $56.07. Williams Companies Company 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.

Prudential PLC Purchases 67,803 Shares of The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE:WMB)

Prudential PLC increased its holdings in Williams Companies, Inc. by 28.4% in the 4th quarter, adding 67,803 shares to its portfolio, making the total holdings worth $16,568,000. Other institutional investors also increased their stakes in the company, including Foundations Investment Advisors LLC and Golden State Equity Partners. The Williams Companies announced quarterly earnings of $0.47 per share, meeting expectations. Additionally, the company increased its dividend to $0.50 per share, representing a $2 increase on an annualized basis. Insider transactions revealed that the company's COO sold a significant portion of his holdings, while SVP also reduced his stake. Analysts have upgraded their price targets on the stock, with Royal Bank of Canada increasing their rating to 'outperform' and CIBC maintaining a 'neutral' rating.