Alps Advisors Inc. Buys 17,974 Shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Alps Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) by 4.1% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 457,543 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after acquiring an additional 17,974 shares during the period. Alps Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $28,985,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the 2nd quarter worth $29,000. Private Wealth Management Group LLC increased its stake 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 valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the period. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp bought a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the second quarter valued at about $32,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in Williams Companies in the third quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Williams Companies during the 2nd quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

Williams Companies News Roundup

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Williams Companies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $65.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. TD Cowen increased their target price on Williams Companies from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 6th. Mizuho upgraded Williams Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $68.64.

Williams Companies Price Performance

NYSE WMB opened at $66.96 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $61.86 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $60.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $81.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a current ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $51.58 and a 12-month high of $68.94.

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.39, for a total value of $132,780.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 293,545 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,488,452.55. This trade represents a 0.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders sold 8,000 shares of company stock valued at $498,700 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Williams Companies 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.