Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) Given Average Recommendation of "Buy" by Analysts

Shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) have received an average recommendation of "Buy" from the twenty ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, fifteen have assigned a buy recommendation and three have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $85.6667.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $89.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $88.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th.

Williams Companies Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of WMB stock opened at $72.80 on Friday. Williams Companies has a 52-week low of $56.19 and a 52-week high of $80.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.48. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $73.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $73.56. The company has a market capitalization of $89.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.00, a PEG ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.59.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The pipeline company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.50. The firm had revenue of $3.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.83 billion. Williams Companies had a net margin of 25.17% and a return on equity of 18.49%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.46 EPS. Williams Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.350-2.350 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Williams Companies will post 2.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio is presently 83.67%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Wilson sold 13,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.87, for a total value of $973,310.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 268,159 shares of the company's stock, valued at $20,077,064.33. This trade represents a 4.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Insiders sold 19,000 shares of company stock worth $1,414,050 over the last three months. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 40.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 13,680 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $740,000 after purchasing an additional 3,969 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 5.5% during the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,635 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its holdings in Williams Companies by 2.1% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 568,928 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $35,734,000 after buying an additional 11,926 shares during the period. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC boosted its holdings in Williams Companies by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC now owns 10,248 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $644,000 after buying an additional 296 shares during the period. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC raised its holdings in Williams Companies by 160.1% during the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 165,035 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $10,366,000 after acquiring an additional 101,574 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 86.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Williams Companies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Williams announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.53 per share, payable September 28 to eligible shareholders. The payment reinforces the company’s income appeal, although the September 11 ex-dividend date can also create a mechanical downward adjustment in the share price. Williams Companies Inc's Dividend Analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel initiated coverage with a Buy rating and an $85 price target, implying meaningful upside from recent trading levels. Stifel coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank maintained a Sector Outperform rating and reduced its target only modestly, from $86 to $85. The continued bullish rating suggests analysts see value despite the adjustment.
• Neutral Sentiment: Growing LNG, NGL and crude-oil export demand is driving increased midstream mergers and acquisitions. The trend could improve the industry’s infrastructure outlook, but the article does not identify a direct transaction involving Williams. Export and power demand drive M&A wave
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity was unusually high, with investors purchasing 17,029 put contracts—54% above average. This signals increased hedging or bearish positioning, but it does not necessarily predict the stock’s direction.
• Negative Sentiment: A court ruling reversed a key water permit for Williams’ NESE pipeline, creating another regulatory obstacle. Delays or additional costs could weaken the project’s expected growth contribution and are likely the most significant source of near-term pressure. Williams NESE pipeline court ruling
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary highlights Williams’ competitive position in the Northeast, while another report compares its performance with the Dow; neither item provides a clearly new earnings or valuation catalyst. Williams tackles the Northeast

Williams Companies Company Profile

Williams Companies, Inc is an energy infrastructure company focused primarily on gathering, processing, transporting and storing natural gas and natural gas liquids. The company provides the infrastructure and related services that connect natural gas supplies with utilities, power generators, industrial customers, liquefied natural gas facilities and other markets.

Williams operates a large network of interstate and regional natural gas pipelines, gathering systems, processing facilities and storage assets across the United States.

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