Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) Stock Rating Upgraded by Scotiabank

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) was upgraded by research analysts at Scotiabank from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. The brokerage presently has a $84.00 price target on the pipeline company’s stock, up from their prior price target of $66.00. Scotiabank’s price objective indicates a potential upside of 16.20% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Jefferies Financial Group lifted their target price on Williams Companies from $71.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Tudor Pickering raised Williams Companies from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Williams Companies from $71.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.21.

Williams Companies Price Performance

NYSE:WMB opened at $72.29 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $62.69 and its 200 day moving average price is $60.81. Williams Companies has a 52-week low of $51.58 and a 52-week high of $72.63. The firm has a market cap of $88.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.78, a PEG ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 0.65.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The pipeline company reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by ($0.02). The business had revenue of $3.20 billion during 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 company posted $0.47 earnings per share. Williams Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.200-2.380 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Williams Companies will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams Companies

In other news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of Williams Companies 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 completion of the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.44% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams Companies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Towne Trust Company N.A grew its position 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 worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 162 shares in the last quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at $29,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC boosted its holdings in Williams Companies by 104.8% in 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 in the last quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC increased its position in Williams Companies by 62.2% during the fourth quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 485 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. raised its holdings in Williams Companies by 216.8% during the fourth quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 491 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 336 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Williams Companies

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)

Williams Companies Company Profile

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.