Blair William & Co. IL Boosts Stock Position in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Posted by Defense World Staff on Mar 12th, 2026

Blair William & Co. IL boosted its holdings in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB – Free Report) by 12.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 69,740 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,737 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $4,418,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. South Plains Financial Inc. increased its position in Williams Companies by 289.7% during the 2nd quarter. South Plains Financial Inc. now owns 608 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 452 shares in the last quarter. OLD Second National Bank of Aurora raised its stake in Williams Companies by 71.2% during 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 during the last quarter. Finally, TruNorth Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Williams Companies during the third quarter valued at $48,000. Institutional investors own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams Companies

In other news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.24, for a total transaction of $150,480.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 291,159 shares in the company, valued at $21,906,803.16. This trade represents a 0.68% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CAO Mary A. Hausman sold 10,107 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief accounting officer owned 17,230 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,290,699.30. This trade represents a 36.97% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 41,107 shares of company stock valued at $3,009,215 over the last 90 days. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Williams Companies Stock Up 0.8%

Williams Companies stock opened at $74.41 on Thursday. Williams Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $51.58 and a one year high of $76.87. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $67.77 and a 200 day moving average of $62.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a current ratio of 0.53. The stock has a market cap of $90.89 billion, a PE ratio of 34.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.63.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The pipeline company reported $0.55 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.02). Williams Companies had a return on equity of 17.32% and a net margin of 21.90%.The firm had revenue of $3.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.10 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business 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, Inc. will post 2.08 EPS for the current year.

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be given a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Williams Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Williams Companies’s payout ratio is presently 98.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on WMB. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Williams Companies from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 11th. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $78.00 to $89.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Williams Companies from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Scotiabank upgraded shares of Williams Companies from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and increased their price target for the company from $66.00 to $84.00 in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $70.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Two investment 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $75.86.

Read Our Latest Stock Analysis on Williams Companies

Williams Companies News Roundup

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

Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its WMB target to $90 (from $83) and reiterated an Overweight rating, calling out scope for multiple expansion — a direct catalyst supporting upside in the stock. Morgan Stanley Sees Multiple Expansion Ahead, Raises Williams Companies (WMB) Target
Positive Sentiment: Street fair‑value models and independent coverage have been repriced higher (example: a fair value update to $76.75), reflecting refreshed growth capex and stronger long‑run EBITDA assumptions — supportive for investor sentiment and valuation. Why The Story Around Williams Companies (WMB) Is Shifting With New Targets And Growth Capex
Positive Sentiment: Bank of America and other brokers have recently lifted price targets (one note to $87), adding to the cluster of higher Street targets that can drive buy‑side flows. The Williams Companies, Inc. (WMB) Price Target Raised to $87
Positive Sentiment: U.S. natural gas prices jumped after a Qatar LNG disruption, boosting near‑term export demand expectations and highlighting Williams’ role in U.S. gas infrastructure and Gulf Coast flows — a demand shock that benefits midstream cash flows. U.S. Natural Gas Prices Rise on Global LNG Supply Disruption
Positive Sentiment: Industry commentary is rotating toward gas-focused opportunities (vs. oil), naming Williams as a top stock to watch amid higher export volumes — favorable thematic support for multiples and investor interest. Forget Oil, Expert Sees ‘bigger Opportunity’ In Natural Gas Amid War
Neutral Sentiment: Williams’ Transco unit commenced a registered exchange offer for two series of senior notes (2036 and 2056) — a financing/curve management move that investors should watch for redemption/rollover terms but that is not an earnings surprise. Williams’ Transco Commences Registered Exchange Offer for Its 5.100% Senior Notes Due 2036 and 5.750% Senior Notes Due 2056
Neutral Sentiment: Company senior leaders are presenting at CERAWeek 2026 — useful for investor relations and visibility into strategy/capex, but more of a medium‑term informational item than an immediate earnings driver. Williams Leadership to Share Insights on Energy Infrastructure and Innovation at CERAWeek 2026
Neutral Sentiment: Coverage of energy income ETFs that hold midstream names (including WMB) has driven retail/income‑seeking flows into the sector — supportive for liquidity but contains idiosyncratic distribution/risk considerations for ETF investors. Retirees Chasing Monthly Cash Flow From This ETF May Be Surprised by the Fine Print

About Williams Companies

(Free Report)

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.