Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Wednesday morning,Zacks.com reports.

WMB has been the topic of several other reports. Citigroup raised their target price on Williams Companies from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 13th. Tudor Pickering raised Williams Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 1st. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Monday, December 29th. TD Cowen increased their price target on Williams Companies from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lifted their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $71.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $68.64.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

WMB stock opened at $66.96 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $61.86 and a two-hundred day moving average of $60.37. Williams Companies has a 12 month low of $51.58 and a 12 month high of $68.94. The company has a market capitalization of $81.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73.

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is a boost from Williams Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 103.09%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was 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 $19,488,452.55. The trade was a 0.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders sold 8,000 shares of company stock worth $498,700 over the last 90 days. 0.44% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Williams Companies

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WMB. Great Diamond Partners LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Great Diamond Partners LLC now owns 34,870 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $2,096,000 after buying an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its position in Williams Companies by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 24,611 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $1,479,000 after acquiring an additional 158 shares during the last quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Courier Capital LLC grew its holdings in Williams Companies by 0.3% in the fourth quarter. Courier Capital LLC now owns 47,466 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $2,853,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sierra Summit Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Williams Companies by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Sierra Summit Advisors LLC now owns 33,871 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $2,036,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Williams Companies

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

• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley reiterated a Buy and kept a lofty $83 price target, signaling continued bullish conviction from a major sell‑side firm. Morgan Stanley Upheld Buy Rating for The Williams Companies (WMB)
• Positive Sentiment: Jefferies raised its price target on WMB to $76, another sign of upward analyst revision that can support the stock over the medium term. Jefferies Raises Williams Companies Price Target to $76
• Positive Sentiment: US Capital Advisors increased its Q1 2026 and FY2027 EPS estimates (Q1 to $0.61; FY2027 to $2.49), which points to improving company earnings expectations and can lift forward valuation.
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks moved its rating from “strong sell” to “hold” — an upward revision but still cautious, suggesting mixed conviction among smaller analyst shops. Zacks Upgrade Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Energy‑sector momentum (XLE leadership, weather‑driven natural gas draws) is a macro tailwind for pipeline names like WMB, since higher gas demand supports volumes and tolling revenue — but sector earnings for majors have been mixed, keeping sentiment volatile.
• Negative Sentiment: US Capital Advisors also published a piece expressing a negative view on WMB’s FY2026 earnings outlook, which may temper enthusiasm from the estimate bumps and contributes to short‑term selling pressure. US Capital Advisors Negative View of WMB FY2026 Earnings

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.