Zacks Research Upgrades Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) to “Hold”

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) was upgraded by investment analysts at Zacks Research from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Monday, December 29th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Barclays lifted their target price on Williams Companies from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Mizuho upgraded Williams Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Tudor Pickering raised Williams Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.64.

Williams Companies Price Performance

Shares of WMB opened at $67.47 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $82.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.78, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.65. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $61.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $60.30. Williams Companies has a fifty-two week low of $51.58 and a fifty-two week high of $68.94. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The pipeline company reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.51 by ($0.02). Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.74% and a net margin of 20.61%.The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.87 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.43 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Williams Companies will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 4,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, November 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.53, for a total transaction of $242,120.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 302,645 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,319,101.85. This represents a 1.30% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In the last three months, insiders sold 8,000 shares of company stock valued at $498,700. Insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Williams Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its position in shares of Williams Companies by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 24,611 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $1,479,000 after buying an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A grew its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 60.2% in the fourth quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 431 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Courier Capital LLC increased its position in shares of Williams Companies by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 47,466 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $2,853,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Wallace Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in Williams Companies by 2.6% during the second quarter. Wallace Advisory Group LLC now owns 7,031 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $420,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. Finally, LRI Investments LLC lifted its holdings in Williams Companies by 8.8% during the third quarter. LRI Investments LLC now owns 2,169 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $137,000 after acquiring an additional 176 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

Williams Companies News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target to $76 and kept a Buy rating, providing a clear buy?side catalyst and signaling stronger upside vs. recent levels. Jefferies Boosts PT to $76
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks and other previews point to expected Q4 earnings growth and the potential for an earnings beat on Feb. 10, which can lift the stock ahead of the report. WMB to Report Q4 Results: Wall Street Expects Earnings Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Weather and gas?storage draws (EIA data showing a large reduction in lower?48 nat?gas inventories after Winter Storm Fern) have supported natural gas prices and volumes—a tailwind for midstream throughput and Williams’ revenue. EIA: Natural Gas Stocks Update
• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.525 (annualized $2.10, ~3.1% yield), which is supportive for income?oriented investors and helps justify higher valuation multiples. MarketBeat WMB Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts’ consensus price target sits near $68.29 — essentially in line with the current trading level — indicating mixed expectations across the Street. Average Price Target $68.29
• Negative Sentiment: US Capital Advisors issued mixed revisions: they raised Q1 2026 and FY2027 EPS forecasts (Q1 to $0.61; FY2027 to $2.49) but trimmed several FY2026 quarterly estimates and slightly cut FY2026 EPS — a near?term downgrade that can temper optimism about 2026 earnings. US Capital Advisors Has Negative View of WMB FY2026 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: an SVP sold 2,000 shares (~$66.39 avg), a small but visible transaction that some investors view as a negative signal. SEC Form 4 filing is available. SEC Form 4

Williams Companies Company 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.