Ameritas Advisory Services LLC Sells 23,608 Shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• Ameritas Advisory Services reduced its Williams Companies stake by 78.6%, selling 23,608 shares and retaining 6,420 shares worth approximately $477,000. Institutional investors collectively own 86.44% of WMB.
• Wall Street sentiment remains positive: analysts assign the stock an average Buy rating and an average price target of $85.67, above its reported $72.80 price.
• Williams reported $3.05 billion in quarterly revenue and $0.50 earnings per share, while maintaining a quarterly dividend of roughly $0.525 per share. However, a court ruling reversing a water permit for its NESE pipeline creates a notable regulatory and growth risk.

Ameritas Advisory Services LLC cut its holdings in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 78.6% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,420 shares of the pipeline company's stock after selling 23,608 shares during the quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Williams Companies were worth $477,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WMB. Main Street Group LTD purchased a new position in Williams Companies in the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Williams Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Allied Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 62.2% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 485 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the period. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on WMB. UBS Group reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Truist Financial raised their price target on Williams Companies from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Stifel Nicolaus began coverage on Williams Companies in a research note on Thursday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $85.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Williams Companies from $99.00 to $103.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Finally, Scotiabank dropped their price objective on Williams Companies from $86.00 to $85.00 and set a "sector outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average target price of $85.67.

Williams Companies News Summary

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Terrance Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.56, for a total value of $151,120.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 264,259 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,967,410.04. This represents a 0.75% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 19,000 shares of company stock worth $1,414,050. Corporate insiders own 0.47% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Price Performance

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

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The pipeline company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.50. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 25.17%.The firm had revenue of $3.05 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.83 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.46 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Williams Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.350-2.350 EPS. Analysts expect that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

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 given a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, September 11th. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio is 83.67%.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WMB? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.