Wells Fargo & Company Issues Positive Forecast for Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) Stock Price

Key Points

• Wells Fargo raised its Williams Companies price target to $90 from $89 and maintained an “overweight” rating, implying approximately 25.5% upside from the prior close. Analysts overall remain bullish, with an average “Buy” rating and $83.62 target.
• Williams reported quarterly EPS of $0.50, matching consensus, while revenue rose 9.8% year over year to $3.05 billion and exceeded expectations. However, its fiscal 2026 EPS guidance of $2.35 trails analyst forecasts.
• The company agreed to acquire Momentum Midstream for $5.5 billion, adding more than 4,000 miles of natural-gas pipelines and strengthening its exposure to LNG and power-demand growth; regulatory approval and execution remain risks.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) had its price objective boosted by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $89.00 to $90.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has an "overweight" rating on the pipeline company's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price target suggests a potential upside of 25.47% from the stock's previous close.

WMB has been the topic of a number of other research reports. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce lifted their target price on Williams Companies from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the company an "outperformer" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Williams Companies from $88.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on Williams Companies from $78.00 to $83.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Buy" and an average price target of $83.62.

Williams Companies Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE:WMB traded up $0.22 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $71.73. 544,946 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,012,969. The firm has a market cap of $87.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.46, a PEG ratio of 1.65 and a beta of 0.58. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $73.19 and a 200 day simple moving average of $72.40. Williams Companies has a 52-week low of $55.82 and a 52-week high of $80.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a current ratio of 0.83 and a quick ratio of 0.76.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The pipeline company reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.50. The company had revenue of $3.05 billion during 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 18.60%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.46 EPS. Williams Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.350-2.350 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Williams Companies will post 2.45 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 12,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $76.48, for a total transaction of $917,760.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 98,219 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,511,789.12. The trade was a 10.89% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.65, for a total value of $141,300.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 281,159 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,863,883.35. This represents a 0.71% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 18,500 shares of company stock worth $1,402,755 over the last quarter. 0.47% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams Companies

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMB. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake in Williams Companies by 40.9% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 13,680 shares of the pipeline company's stock valued at $740,000 after purchasing an additional 3,969 shares in the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted 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 during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its position in shares of Williams Companies by 2.1% during the second 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 in the last quarter. Main Street Financial Solutions LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 3.0% in the second 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 last quarter. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 160.1% in the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 165,035 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $10,366,000 after buying an additional 101,574 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.44% of the company's stock.

Trending Headlines about Williams Companies

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

• Positive Sentiment: $5.5 billion Momentum Midstream acquisition: Williams agreed to acquire Momentum Midstream, adding more than 4,000 miles of natural-gas pipelines connecting the Haynesville region with Gulf Coast LNG export facilities, power generators and industrial customers. The deal strengthens WMB’s position in areas benefiting from LNG and electricity-demand growth, though regulatory approval and execution remain key risks. Reuters: Williams to buy Momentum and raises 2026 EBITDA forecast
• Positive Sentiment: Higher operating outlook: Management highlighted approximately 6% second-quarter EBITDA growth and raised its full-year EBITDA forecast, signaling confidence in continued demand for Williams’ natural-gas infrastructure. Williams Companies Q2 2026 earnings call highlights
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue growth offset an EPS shortfall: Second-quarter EPS was $0.50, up from $0.46 a year earlier and matching the company’s reported consensus estimate, but below the $0.52 Zacks estimate. Revenue rose 9.8% year over year to $3.05 billion, exceeding the $2.83 billion estimate. Williams Companies quarterly earnings data
• Negative Sentiment: EPS guidance trails expectations: WMB set fiscal 2026 EPS guidance at $2.35, below the approximately $2.41 analyst consensus, which could weigh on near-term valuation despite the stronger EBITDA outlook. Williams Q2 earnings and revenues lag estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Minor insider selling: Senior Vice President Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares for about $141,300, reducing his holdings by 0.71%. The transaction is small relative to his remaining stake and is only a modest cautionary signal. Williams Companies SVP sells 2,000 shares

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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