Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) Given New $65.00 Price Target at The Goldman Sachs Group

Key Points

• Goldman Sachs has raised the price target for Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) from $59.00 to $65.00, indicating a potential upside of 1.64% based on its previous close.
• The company's stock is receiving mixed ratings from analysts, with one Strong Buy, eleven Buy, and five Hold ratings, leading to a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $64.67.
• Williams Companies reported earnings of $0.46 per share, missing estimates of $0.49, although revenue for the quarter increased by 19% year-over-year.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) had its price target raised by research analysts at The Goldman Sachs Group from $59.00 to $65.00 in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "neutral" rating on the pipeline company's stock. The Goldman Sachs Group's price target would indicate a potential upside of 1.64% from the company's previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. BMO Capital Markets initiated coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Friday, September 19th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $66.00 price target on the stock. Scotiabank boosted their price objective on Williams Companies from $59.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a "sector perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Williams Companies from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Friday, September 26th. UBS Group boosted their price target on Williams Companies from $74.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on Williams Companies from $59.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and five have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $64.67.

Williams Companies Stock Up 0.4%

Williams Companies stock traded up $0.26 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $63.95. The stock had a trading volume of 4,392,825 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,534,956. Williams Companies has a 52 week low of $47.52 and a 52 week high of $65.55. The company has a market cap of $77.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.16, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a current ratio of 0.54 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The business's 50 day moving average price is $58.90 and its 200-day moving average price is $58.89.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The pipeline company reported $0.46 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.49 by ($0.03). Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.23% and a net margin of 21.63%.The company had revenue of $2.78 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.43 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 19.0% on a year-over-year basis. Williams Companies has set its FY 2025 guidance at 2.010-2.190 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Williams Companies will post 2.08 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams Companies

In related news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.62, for a total transaction of $115,240.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 311,645 shares of the company's stock, valued at $17,956,984.90. The trade was a 0.64% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Larry C. Larsen sold 4,500 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction on Monday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.47, for a total value of $263,115.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer owned 77,612 shares in the company, valued at $4,537,973.64. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 8,500 shares of company stock worth $497,715. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams Companies

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Flaharty Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. HWG Holdings LP bought a new position in Williams Companies in the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Saudi Central Bank purchased a new position in shares of Williams Companies in the first quarter valued at about $29,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake in Williams Companies by 104.8% in the 2nd quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 469 shares of the pipeline company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 240 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hartford Funds Management Co LLC purchased a new position in Williams Companies during the second quarter worth $29,000. Institutional investors own 86.44% of the company's stock.

About Williams Companies

The Williams Companies, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an energy infrastructure company primarily in the United States. It operates through Transmission & Gulf of Mexico, Northeast G&P, West, and Gas & NGL Marketing Services segments. The Transmission & Gulf of Mexico segment comprises natural gas pipelines; Transco, Northwest pipeline, MountainWest, and related natural gas storage facilities; and natural gas gathering and processing, and crude oil production handling and transportation assets in the Gulf Coast region.

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