US Capital Advisors Has Bearish Outlook for WMB Q1 Earnings

Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) – Analysts at US Capital Advisors cut their Q1 2026 earnings per share estimates for Williams Companies in a research note issued on Monday, March 23rd. US Capital Advisors analyst J. Carreker now forecasts that the pipeline company will post earnings of $0.59 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate 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.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The pipeline company reported $0.55 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.57 by ($0.02). Williams Companies had a net margin of 21.90% and a return on equity of 17.32%. The business had revenue of $3.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.10 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.47 earnings per share. Williams Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.200-2.380 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on WMB. Scotiabank raised Williams Companies from a “sector perform” rating to a “sector outperform” rating and upped their target price for the company from $66.00 to $84.00 in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $80.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 13th. Zacks Research raised shares of Williams Companies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $70.00 to $81.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 12th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 11th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have given a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $77.00.

Williams Companies Trading Up 1.1%

NYSE:WMB opened at $74.39 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $90.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.27 and a beta of 0.63. Williams Companies has a one year low of $51.58 and a one year high of $76.87. 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 business’s 50-day simple moving average is $70.13 and its 200 day simple moving average is $63.84.

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 dividend yield of 2.8%. This is an increase from Williams Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 98.13%.

Insider Transactions at Williams Companies

In related news, SVP Todd J. Rinke sold 7,364 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.39, for a total transaction of $547,807.96. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 26,055 shares in the company, valued at $1,938,231.45. This trade represents a 22.04% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Payvand Fazel sold 2,898 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction on Friday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.15, for a total transaction of $211,988.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 31,766 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,323,682.90. This represents a 8.36% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 51,369 shares of company stock valued at $3,769,012. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Towne Trust Company N.A lifted its holdings 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 during the last quarter. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Clearstead Trust LLC raised its position in shares of Williams Companies by 62.2% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 485 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 186 shares during the period. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 216.8% in the 4th quarter. First Command Advisory Services Inc. now owns 491 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 336 shares during the last quarter. 86.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Williams Companies

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

• Positive Sentiment: New analyst coverage: Truist initiated coverage with a “buy” and an $84 price target (about a mid‑teens upside vs. current levels), which can attract demand from institutional investors and supports the stock. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Growth narrative: CEO Chad Zamarin highlighted rising power demand from data centers and how Williams is positioned to serve that market — a potential multi-year revenue/volume tailwind if Williams secures more data‑center power business. Williams CEO on data center power
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term upside in analyst models: US Capital Advisors’ note includes a FY2028 EPS projection of $2.95 and multi‑year quarterly forecasts that imply accelerating earnings out years, supporting a longer‑term bullish view if the company executes. MarketBeat coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Political/industry context: Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed energy executive Alan Armstrong to the U.S. Senate. Armstrong’s background in energy could be supportive for industry policy, but the direct impact on Williams is uncertain and likely limited in the near term. Alan Armstrong Becomes Newest U.S. Senator
• Negative Sentiment: Near‑term estimate cuts: US Capital Advisors trimmed several near‑term EPS forecasts (Q2 and Q3 2026 down slightly, and FY2026 lowered to $2.18 from $2.22). Those cuts increase short‑term execution risk and may pressure sentiment until results/visibility improve. MarketBeat coverage

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.