Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB Shares Acquired by Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC

Key Points

• CBRE Investment Management boosted its stake in Williams by 8.9% in Q3 to 1,790,329 shares (about $113.4 million), making WMB its 26th-largest holding.
• Multiple brokers have raised ratings and price targets (Morgan Stanley to $90; several firms in the $78–$87 range), leaving WMB with a consensus Moderate Buy and an average target of $75.86.
• The company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.525 (annualized $2.10, ~2.8% yield) while insiders sold 41,107 shares (~$3.0M) recently; Williams also set FY2026 guidance of EPS $2.20–2.38.

Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB - Free Report) by 8.9% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,790,329 shares of the pipeline company's stock after purchasing an additional 146,369 shares during the quarter. Williams Companies accounts for 1.6% of Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC's holdings, making the stock its 26th largest holding. Cbre Investment Management Listed Real Assets LLC owned about 0.15% of Williams Companies worth $113,417,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in Williams Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $32,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the third quarter worth approximately $36,000. South Plains Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 289.7% during the second quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 608 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 452 shares during the period. Finally, OLD Second National Bank of Aurora raised its holdings in Williams Companies by 71.2% in the third quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 630 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WMB. Tudor Pickering upgraded shares of Williams Companies from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $78.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $71.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Williams Companies from $70.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $75.86.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams Companies news, CAO Mary A. Hausman sold 10,107 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.91, for a total transaction of $757,115.37. Following the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 17,230 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,290,699.30. This trade represents a 36.97% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 27,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.92, for a total transaction of $1,968,840.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 293,159 shares of the company's stock, valued at $21,377,154.28. The trade was a 8.43% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 41,107 shares of company stock worth $3,009,215 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Key Williams Companies News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its WMB target to $90 (from $83) and reiterated an Overweight rating, calling out scope for multiple expansion — a direct catalyst supporting upside in the stock. Morgan Stanley Sees Multiple Expansion Ahead, Raises Williams Companies (WMB) Target
• Positive Sentiment: Street fair‑value models and independent coverage have been repriced higher (example: a fair value update to $76.75), reflecting refreshed growth capex and stronger long‑run EBITDA assumptions — supportive for investor sentiment and valuation. Why The Story Around Williams Companies (WMB) Is Shifting With New Targets And Growth Capex
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America and other brokers have recently lifted price targets (one note to $87), adding to the cluster of higher Street targets that can drive buy‑side flows. The Williams Companies, Inc. (WMB) Price Target Raised to $87
• Positive Sentiment: U.S. natural gas prices jumped after a Qatar LNG disruption, boosting near‑term export demand expectations and highlighting Williams’ role in U.S. gas infrastructure and Gulf Coast flows — a demand shock that benefits midstream cash flows. U.S. Natural Gas Prices Rise on Global LNG Supply Disruption
• Positive Sentiment: Industry commentary is rotating toward gas-focused opportunities (vs. oil), naming Williams as a top stock to watch amid higher export volumes — favorable thematic support for multiples and investor interest. Forget Oil, Expert Sees ‘bigger Opportunity’ In Natural Gas Amid War
• Neutral Sentiment: Williams’ Transco unit commenced a registered exchange offer for two series of senior notes (2036 and 2056) — a financing/curve management move that investors should watch for redemption/rollover terms but that is not an earnings surprise. Williams’ Transco Commences Registered Exchange Offer for Its 5.100% Senior Notes Due 2036 and 5.750% Senior Notes Due 2056
• Neutral Sentiment: Company senior leaders are presenting at CERAWeek 2026 — useful for investor relations and visibility into strategy/capex, but more of a medium‑term informational item than an immediate earnings driver. Williams Leadership to Share Insights on Energy Infrastructure and Innovation at CERAWeek 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of energy income ETFs that hold midstream names (including WMB) has driven retail/income‑seeking flows into the sector — supportive for liquidity but contains idiosyncratic distribution/risk considerations for ETF investors. Retirees Chasing Monthly Cash Flow From This ETF May Be Surprised by the Fine Print

Williams Companies Stock Up 0.8%

Williams Companies stock opened at $74.41 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $90.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.77, a PEG ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.53. Williams Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.58 and a fifty-two week high of $76.87. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $67.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $62.79.

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

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 presently 98.13%.

About Williams Companies

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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