Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) Receives Average Recommendation of “Buy” from Brokerages

Shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) have earned a consensus rating of “Buy” from the twenty brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $85.6667.

A number of research firms have recently commented on WMB. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $88.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $82.00 price target on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating and a $85.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $89.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 5th.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

Shares of WMB opened at $72.80 on Friday. Williams Companies has a 52-week low of $56.19 and a 52-week high of $80.07. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $73.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $73.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a current ratio of 0.48. The stock has a market capitalization of $89.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.59.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last posted its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The pipeline company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 25.17%.The business had revenue of $3.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.83 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.46 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue 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. Research analysts forecast that Williams Companies will post 2.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Investors of record on Friday, September 11th will be given a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. Williams Companies’s payout ratio is presently 83.67%.

Key Stories Impacting Williams Companies

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

• Positive Sentiment: Williams announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.53 per share, payable September 28 to eligible shareholders. The payment reinforces the company’s income appeal, although the September 11 ex-dividend date can also create a mechanical downward adjustment in the share price. Williams Companies Inc’s Dividend Analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel initiated coverage with a Buy rating and an $85 price target, implying meaningful upside from recent trading levels. Stifel coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank maintained a Sector Outperform rating and reduced its target only modestly, from $86 to $85. The continued bullish rating suggests analysts see value despite the adjustment.
• Neutral Sentiment: Growing LNG, NGL and crude-oil export demand is driving increased midstream mergers and acquisitions. The trend could improve the industry’s infrastructure outlook, but the article does not identify a direct transaction involving Williams. Export and power demand drive M&A wave
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity was unusually high, with investors purchasing 17,029 put contracts—54% above average. This signals increased hedging or bearish positioning, but it does not necessarily predict the stock’s direction.
• Negative Sentiment: A court ruling reversed a key water permit for Williams’ NESE pipeline, creating another regulatory obstacle. Delays or additional costs could weaken the project’s expected growth contribution and are likely the most significant source of near-term pressure. Williams NESE pipeline court ruling
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary highlights Williams’ competitive position in the Northeast, while another report compares its performance with the Dow; neither item provides a clearly new earnings or valuation catalyst. Williams tackles the Northeast

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Wilson sold 13,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.87, for a total value of $973,310.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 268,159 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $20,077,064.33. This trade represents a 4.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 19,000 shares of company stock valued at $1,414,050. 0.47% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WMB. Main Street Group LTD purchased a new position in Williams Companies in the 1st quarter worth approximately $26,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Allied Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at $28,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 62.2% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 485 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Williams Companies Company Profile

Williams Companies, Inc is an energy infrastructure company focused primarily on gathering, processing, transporting and storing natural gas and natural gas liquids. The company provides the infrastructure and related services that connect natural gas supplies with utilities, power generators, industrial customers, liquefied natural gas facilities and other markets.

Williams operates a large network of interstate and regional natural gas pipelines, gathering systems, processing facilities and storage assets across the United States.