J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. Grows Holdings in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

J.W. Cole Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) by 52.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 71,297 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after purchasing an additional 24,599 shares during the quarter. J.W. Cole Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $4,517,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Private Wealth Management Group LLC grew 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 in the last quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC bought a new position in Williams Companies in the second quarter worth approximately $29,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new position in Williams Companies in the second quarter worth approximately $32,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC purchased a new position in Williams Companies during the 2nd quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on WMB. Jefferies Financial Group raised their price target on Williams Companies from $71.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Williams Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 6th. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reduced their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $72.00 to $70.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.64.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.39, for a total value of $132,780.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 293,545 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,488,452.55. This trade represents a 0.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders sold 8,000 shares of company stock valued at $498,700 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Williams Companies Trading Up 1.5%

NYSE WMB opened at $67.47 on Friday. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $51.58 and a 52 week high of $68.94. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $61.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $60.30. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. The firm has a market cap of $82.40 billion, a PE ratio of 34.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.65.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The pipeline company reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.51 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $2.92 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.87 billion. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 16.74% and a net margin of 20.61%.Williams Companies’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.43 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.1%. This is an increase from Williams Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 108.25%.

More Williams Companies News

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

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.