Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (WMB) – What Are Analysts Thinking About This Stock?

Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) has earned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the twenty-one brokerages that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eighteen have given a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $86.06.

Several brokerages have weighed in on WMB. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Williams Companies from $99.00 to $103.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 18th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Williams Companies from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 8th. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce reduced their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $85.00 to $82.00 and set an “outperformer” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Finally, Melius Research started coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Tuesday, September 22nd. They set a “buy” rating and a $84.00 price target for the company.

Williams Companies News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Dividend reaffirmed: Williams approved its regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.525 per share, equivalent to $2.10 annually. The payment is scheduled for December 28, 2026, for shareholders of record on December 11. The decision reinforces WMB’s appeal as an income-oriented pipeline investment. How Raised Earnings Estimates At Williams Companies Has Changed Its Investment Story
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term earnings estimates increased: US Capital Advisors raised its EPS forecasts for the first, second, third and fourth quarters of 2027, as well as full-year 2027 to $2.24 from $2.07 and full-year 2028 to $2.81 from $2.67. The revisions suggest analysts see improving growth potential from Williams’ infrastructure and gathering operations. Williams Companies analyst estimate revisions
• Positive Sentiment: Options activity indicates bullish positioning: Traders purchased a large volume of WMB call options, signaling that some market participants are positioning for additional upside, although options activity does not guarantee a change in fundamentals. Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Williams Companies Call Options
• Neutral Sentiment: Q3 earnings expectations remain the immediate focus: Analysts are evaluating operating metrics such as gathering volumes and segment EBITDA ahead of Williams’ quarterly report. Current estimates center on approximately $0.51 in Q3 EPS, with attention on whether results support the company’s full-year outlook. Gear Up for The Williams Companies Q3 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term estimates were trimmed: US Capital Advisors reduced its Q3 2026 EPS forecast from $0.54 to $0.51 and its full-year 2026 forecast from $2.34 to $2.33. The revisions are small but could limit near-term enthusiasm ahead of earnings.
• Negative Sentiment: Interest-rate risk remains a concern: Commentary warns that rising rates could pressure the broader bull market. Although pipelines are viewed as relatively defensive, higher borrowing costs can weigh on valuation and dividend-focused stocks such as WMB. Why Rising Rates Could Break the Bull Market

Williams Companies Stock Performance

NYSE WMB opened at $74.32 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 0.48 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The company has a market cap of $90.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.64. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $72.21 and a two-hundred day moving average of $72.28. Williams Companies has a 1-year low of $56.19 and a 1-year high of $80.07.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The pipeline company reported $0.50 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.50. Williams Companies had a net margin of 25.17% and a return on equity of 18.49%. The business had revenue of $3.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.83 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.46 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Williams Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.350-2.350 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Williams Companies will post 2.42 EPS for the current year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be given a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, December 11th. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 83.67%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams Companies

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $67.85, for a total value of $135,700.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 262,259 shares in the company, valued at $17,794,273.15. This represents a 0.76% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 19,000 shares of company stock worth $1,401,430. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,320,606,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its stake in Williams Companies by 43.4% during the 2nd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 33,097,208 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $2,460,446,000 after buying an additional 10,013,946 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc acquired a new position in Williams Companies during the second quarter worth approximately $596,077,000. Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Williams Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $500,305,000. Finally, Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA purchased a new stake in Williams Companies in the second quarter valued at approximately $354,184,000. 86.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams Companies Company Profile

The Williams Companies, Inc is an energy infrastructure company headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1908 as Williams Brothers, the company has evolved from an early pipeline contractor into a major operator of natural gas infrastructure in the United States.

Williams primarily gathers, processes, transports and stores natural gas and natural gas liquids. Its assets include interstate and regional pipelines, gas processing and fractionation facilities, storage operations, and gathering systems that connect producers with utilities, industrial customers, power generators and other energy markets.