Wellington Management Group LLP Has $3.08 Billion Holdings in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Key Points

• Wellington Management raised its stake in Williams by 15.9% to 48,586,299 shares (about 3.98% of the company), valued at roughly $3.08 billion, and institutional ownership is high at ~86.44% with other big investors (Norges Bank, Brookfield, Invesco) also increasing positions.
• Williams boosted its quarterly dividend to $0.525 (annualized $2.10, ~2.9% yield), though the payout ratio is elevated at 93.46%, which could constrain payout flexibility.
• The company reported quarterly EPS of $0.55 (missed estimates by $0.02) while revenue beat at $3.20 billion and set FY2026 guidance of 2.20–2.38 EPS; analysts have since raised price targets, leaving a consensus "Moderate Buy" and a MarketBeat target near $76.50 (with Morgan Stanley at $90), reflecting generally bullish sentiment.

Wellington Management Group LLP increased its position in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 15.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 48,586,299 shares of the pipeline company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,668,950 shares during the quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP owned 3.98% of Williams Companies worth $3,077,942,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WMB. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Williams Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $765,164,000. BROOKFIELD Corp ON increased its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 190.3% during the second quarter. BROOKFIELD Corp ON now owns 12,028,186 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $755,490,000 after buying an additional 7,884,730 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 27.3% during the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 14,417,821 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $905,583,000 after buying an additional 3,089,390 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 30.4% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 9,073,602 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $574,856,000 after acquiring an additional 2,116,526 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lifted its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 39.0% in the 2nd quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 6,954,733 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $436,827,000 after acquiring an additional 1,950,485 shares during the last quarter. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMB opened at $73.35 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $89.60 billion, a PE ratio of 34.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83. Williams Companies, Inc. has a twelve month low of $51.58 and a twelve month high of $76.87. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.29 and a 200 day simple moving average of $62.98.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The pipeline company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.57 by ($0.02). Williams Companies had a net margin of 21.90% and a return on equity of 17.32%. The firm had revenue of $3.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.10 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.47 EPS. Williams Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.200-2.380 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current year.

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Williams Companies's previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Williams Companies's dividend payout ratio is currently 93.46%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on WMB shares. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price objective on Williams Companies from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on Williams Companies from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price target on Williams Companies from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Williams Companies from $70.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $83.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $76.50.

Key Williams Companies News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo upgraded WMB to “overweight” and raised its price target from $80 to $89 — a clear institutional bullish signal that can attract buying interest. Wells Fargo raises WMB price target
• Positive Sentiment: Large call‑option flow: traders bought ~140,820 WMB call contracts (>> typical daily call volume), suggesting short‑term bullish positioning or speculative bets that can amplify upside volatility.
• Positive Sentiment: Broker support: Raymond James reiterated a buy stance, reinforcing institutional confidence and helping sustain demand from fund managers. Raymond James sticks to buy
• Positive Sentiment: Industry tailwind: analysts highlight rising natural‑gas demand from AI/data‑center growth, a structural driver for pipeline throughput and long‑term cash flow improvement. Data center demand boosts natural gas outlook
• Neutral Sentiment: Post‑earnings momentum: commentary notes WMB is up roughly 4.6% since the last earnings report; useful context on recent strength but not a stand‑alone catalyst. Can the rally continue?
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase: WMB raised its quarterly payout to $0.525 (annualized $2.10), boosting yield and income appeal—but note the payout ratio is high, which limits optionality. MarketBeat WMB overview
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: SVP Todd J. Rinke sold 7,364 shares (~22% reduction of his prior incremental position), a potential signal of profit‑taking or rebalancing that can weigh on near‑term sentiment. SEC filing for insider sale

Insider Activity at Williams Companies

In related news, SVP Todd J. Rinke sold 7,364 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.39, for a total transaction of $547,807.96. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 26,055 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,938,231.45. This trade represents a 22.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $75.24, for a total value of $150,480.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 291,159 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $21,906,803.16. The trade was a 0.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 48,471 shares of company stock worth $3,557,023 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Williams Companies Profile

Williams Companies, Inc NYSE: WMB is a U.S.-based energy infrastructure company focused on the midstream segment of the natural gas value chain. The company develops, owns and operates assets that gather, process, transport and store natural gas and natural gas liquids (NGLs). Its operations support the movement of gas from production areas to end users including utilities, power generators, industrial customers and export facilities.

Williams’s product and service offering includes interstate and intrastate pipeline transmission, gas-gathering systems, processing facilities that remove impurities and separate NGLs, storage services and fractionation and transportation of NGL products.

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