Bank of Montreal Can Decreases Stake in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Bank of Montreal Can lowered its holdings in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) by 7.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,772,672 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 213,600 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can owned 0.23% of Williams Companies worth $175,649,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC acquired a new position in Williams Companies during the third quarter worth about $35,000. South Plains Financial Inc. grew its position in Williams Companies by 289.7% during the second quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 608 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 452 shares during the period. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora increased its holdings in Williams Companies by 71.2% in the third quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora now owns 630 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 262 shares in the last quarter. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Williams Companies

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.24, for a total value of $150,480.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 291,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $21,906,803.16. This represents a 0.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CAO Mary A. Hausman sold 10,107 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.91, for a total transaction of $757,115.37. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief accounting officer directly owned 17,230 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,290,699.30. This represents a 36.97% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 41,107 shares of company stock valued at $3,009,215. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Williams Companies News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Global LNG supply disruption has pushed U.S. natural gas prices higher, boosting demand outlook for U.S. pipeline and export infrastructure providers like Williams. Higher spreads and export demand generally support volumes and fee-based revenue for midstream operators. U.S. Natural Gas Prices Rise on Global LNG Supply Disruption
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment is shifting upward — Williams had a recent price-target raise (to $87) and is being highlighted among income-oriented oil & gas stocks, which can attract buy-side interest and support multiple expansion. The Williams Companies, Inc. (WMB) Price Target Raised to $87
• Positive Sentiment: Media and analysts are calling natural gas a bigger investment opportunity amid geopolitical tensions, and Williams is repeatedly named as a key U.S. infrastructure play to benefit from rising export volumes. That narrative supports higher investor appetite for WMB. Forget Oil, Expert Sees ‘bigger Opportunity’ In Natural Gas Amid War
• Neutral Sentiment: Williams executives will present at CERAWeek 2026, providing management visibility on strategy (exports, infrastructure investments, innovation). Investor presentations can help sentiment but are informational until they produce new guidance or contracts. Williams Leadership to Share Insights on Energy Infrastructure and Innovation at CERAWeek 2026
• Neutral Sentiment: Williams’ Transco unit has commenced a registered exchange offer for two series of senior notes (2036 and 2056). This is primarily a capital-markets action (registration/liquidity of notes) — watch details for any consent or tender terms that could impact cash flow or refinancing cost. Williams’ Transco Commences Registered Exchange Offer for Its 5.100% Senior Notes Due 2036 and 5.750% Senior Notes Due 2056
• Neutral Sentiment: Broader investor interest in midstream-focused ETFs (e.g., VanEck EINC) highlights demand for yield and infrastructure exposure; that can direct flows to big midstream names like WMB but also increases sensitivity to oil/gas price swings and distribution risk perceptions. Retirees Chasing Monthly Cash Flow From This ETF May Be Surprised by the Fine Print

Williams Companies Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of Williams Companies stock opened at $73.79 on Wednesday. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $51.58 and a 1 year high of $76.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 0.53 and a quick ratio of 0.48. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $67.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.71. The company has a market capitalization of $90.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.48, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 0.63.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The pipeline company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 quarter last year, the company posted $0.47 EPS. Williams Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.200-2.380 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Investors of record on Friday, March 13th will be paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. 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 2.8%. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio is 93.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on WMB. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Williams Companies from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 13th. Scotiabank raised Williams Companies from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $66.00 to $84.00 in a report on Friday, February 13th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Williams Companies from $83.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Williams Companies from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Williams Companies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams Companies currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $75.86.

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.