Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) Price Target Raised to $78.00 at Stifel Nicolaus

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) had its price objective raised by Stifel Nicolaus from $69.00 to $78.00 in a report released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the pipeline company’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on WMB. Zacks Research upgraded Williams Companies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $70.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Williams Companies from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on Williams Companies from $72.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.21.

Williams Companies Trading Up 1.6%

NYSE:WMB opened at $72.29 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.53. Williams Companies has a 1 year low of $51.58 and a 1 year high of $72.63. The stock has a market cap of $88.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.65. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $62.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $60.80.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last announced 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 net margin of 21.90% and a return on equity of 17.32%. The company had revenue of $3.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.47 earnings per share. Williams Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.200-2.380 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Williams Companies will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. This is an increase from Williams Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Williams Companies’s payout ratio is currently 93.46%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.39, for a total transaction of $132,780.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 293,545 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,488,452.55. The trade was a 0.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Williams Companies

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Towne Trust Company N.A raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. Private Wealth Management Group LLC raised its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 104.8% during the 2nd quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 469 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the period. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC acquired a new position in Williams Companies during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Clearstead Trust LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 62.2% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 485 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Finally, WHI TRUST Co LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. 86.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Williams Companies News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank upgraded WMB from “sector perform” to “sector outperform” and raised its price target to $84, signaling stronger conviction and a material upside from recent levels. Scotiabank upgrades Williams Companies (WMB)
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $81 and moved to a “buy” view — another major analyst endorsement that supports further upside and likely helped buying interest. Citigroup raises WMB price target to $81 (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus increased its target to $78 and kept a “buy” rating, adding to the cluster of positive analyst revisions and reinforcing expectations for near-term share appreciation. Stifel raises WMB target to $78 (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor/Analyst Day transcript (Seeking Alpha) provided management commentary and strategic detail that investors can use to vet guidance and capital-allocation priorities; such details help underpin analyst re-ratings but are informational rather than immediately catalytic. The Williams Companies, Inc. (WMB) Analyst/Investor Day Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: A Benzinga retrospective on 10?year returns is informational for long-term investors but unlikely to move shares materially today. If You Invested $100 In Williams Companies…
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results: Williams slightly missed EPS estimates (reported EPS below consensus) though revenue beat; management flagged 2026 growth capital of $6.1–$6.7B and maintenance capex of $850–$950M — higher near-term spending that could pressure free cash flow and put focus on funding and returns. Williams Companies Q4 Earnings Miss Estimates, Revenues Beat (Zacks)

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.