Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) Upgraded at Scotiabank

Scotiabank upgraded shares of Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) from a sector perform rating to a sector outperform rating in a report issued on Friday morning, MarketBeat reports. They currently have $84.00 price target on the pipeline company’s stock, up from their previous price target of $66.00.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on WMB. Zacks Research raised Williams Companies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on Williams Companies from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. TD Cowen raised their target price on Williams Companies from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Williams Companies from $71.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.21.

Williams Companies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WMB opened at $72.29 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $62.69 and its 200 day simple moving average is $60.82. The stock has a market cap of $88.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.48, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83. Williams Companies has a fifty-two week low of $51.58 and a fifty-two week high of $72.63.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last released its 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). The company had revenue of $3.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.10 billion. Williams Companies had a net margin of 21.90% and a return on equity of 17.32%. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.47 EPS. Williams Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.200-2.380 EPS. Equities analysts expect that Williams Companies will post 2.08 EPS for the current year.

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Williams Companies

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

Institutional Trading of Williams Companies

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WMB. Towne Trust Company N.A boosted its position in Williams Companies by 60.2% during the 4th quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 431 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares during the period. Private Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 104.8% during the second quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 469 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC purchased a new position in Williams Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Clearstead Trust LLC increased its stake in Williams Companies by 62.2% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 485 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the period. Finally, WHI TRUST Co LLC purchased a new stake in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

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.