US Capital Advisors Issues Negative Outlook for WMB Earnings

Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) – Research analysts at US Capital Advisors decreased their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Williams Companies in a research report issued on Monday, March 23rd. US Capital Advisors analyst J. Carreker now forecasts that the pipeline company will earn $0.59 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.61. The consensus estimate for Williams Companies’ current full-year earnings is $2.08 per share. US Capital Advisors also issued estimates for Williams Companies’ Q2 2027 earnings at $0.50 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.57 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $2.37 EPS.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Williams Companies from $83.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, March 2nd. Citigroup increased their target price on Williams Companies from $70.00 to $81.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Zacks Research upgraded Williams Companies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Truist Financial assumed coverage on Williams Companies in a research note on Tuesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $84.00 price objective on the stock. Three 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 MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $77.00.

Williams Companies Trading Down 0.8%

NYSE WMB opened at $73.89 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $90.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.53, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.63. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $70.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $63.91. The company has a current ratio of 0.53, a quick ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83. Williams Companies has a 52 week low of $51.58 and a 52 week high of $76.87.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last announced 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). Williams Companies had a return on equity of 17.32% and a net margin of 21.90%.The business had revenue of $3.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.10 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.47 earnings per share. Williams Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.200-2.380 EPS.

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. 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%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 98.13%.

Insider Activity at Williams Companies

In other news, SVP Payvand Fazel sold 2,898 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.15, for a total value of $211,988.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 31,766 shares in the company, valued at $2,323,682.90. This trade represents a 8.36% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 291,159 shares in the company, valued at $21,906,803.16. This represents a 0.68% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold 51,369 shares of company stock valued at $3,769,012 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Mill Creek Capital Advisors LLC now owns 6,000 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 141 shares in the last quarter. UMB Bank n.a. grew its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 15,309 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $920,000 after buying an additional 148 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC raised its position in Williams Companies by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 12,646 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $760,000 after buying an additional 149 shares during the period. Great Diamond Partners LLC lifted its stake in Williams Companies by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Great Diamond Partners LLC now owns 34,870 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $2,096,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Betterment LLC lifted its stake in Williams Companies by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Betterment LLC now owns 4,766 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

Williams Companies News Summary

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

• Positive Sentiment: Truist Securities initiated coverage with a Buy and an $84 price target, signaling ~13–14% upside from the recent price and providing institutional validation for WMB’s growth prospects. Truist Initiates Coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Surging energy prices (WTI near $90 after geopolitical supply shocks) are supporting the broader energy complex; higher commodity prices and tight markets can boost pipeline throughput and tolling economics over time. Higher Oil Prices Article
• Positive Sentiment: Management commentary on growing power demand from data centers highlights a structural growth avenue for Williams (natural gas and power‑adjacent infrastructure needs), which could support longer‑term revenue diversification. CEO on Data Center Demand
• Neutral Sentiment: Oklahoma Gov. Stitt named energy executive Alan Armstrong to the U.S. Senate seat — a political development with uncertain direct impact on Williams but potentially relevant for energy/regulatory policy in the region. Alan Armstrong Senate Appointment
• Negative Sentiment: US Capital Advisors cut multiple near‑term EPS estimates (Q1–Q3 2026 and FY2026/FY2027 lowered), trimming near‑term earnings expectations and creating short‑term pressure on the stock despite some longer‑term upside forecasts. These revisions increase the risk that WMB could miss quarterly consensus or see guidance re‑calibration. (Source: US Capital Advisors / Market commentary)

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.