Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) Rating Increased to Sector Outperform at Scotiabank

Scotiabank upgraded shares of Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) from a sector perform rating to a sector outperform rating in a research report released on Friday, Marketbeat reports. Scotiabank currently has $84.00 target price on the pipeline company’s stock, up from their prior target price of $66.00.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on Williams Companies from $69.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on Williams Companies from $75.00 to $78.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. TD Cowen upped their price objective on Williams Companies from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, November 6th. Mizuho raised Williams Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded shares of Williams Companies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and four have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.21.

Williams Companies Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of Williams Companies stock opened at $72.29 on Friday. Williams Companies has a one year low of $51.58 and a one year high of $72.63. The company has a market cap of $88.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.78, a PEG ratio of 1.28 and a beta of 0.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.53. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $62.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $60.80.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last issued 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 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 firm earned $0.47 EPS. Williams Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.200-2.380 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Williams Companies will post 2.08 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams Companies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 30th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 13th will be issued a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.9%. This is a positive change from Williams Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 13th. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 93.46%.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.39, for a total value of $132,780.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 293,545 shares in the company, valued at $19,488,452.55. The trade was a 0.68% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.44% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Williams Companies

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Williams Companies by 40.9% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 13,680 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $740,000 after purchasing an additional 3,969 shares during the last quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Williams Companies by 5.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 4,635 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $291,000 after buying an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. RFG Advisory LLC lifted its stake in Williams Companies by 141.1% in the 2nd quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 8,481 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $533,000 after buying an additional 4,964 shares in the last quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. grew its holdings in Williams Companies by 13.2% during the 2nd quarter. Harbour Investments Inc. now owns 5,711 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $359,000 after buying an additional 667 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its position in Williams Companies by 35.6% during the second quarter. Ritholtz Wealth Management now owns 21,371 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $1,342,000 after buying an additional 5,609 shares in the last quarter. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Headlines Impacting Williams Companies

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

• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank upgraded WMB from “sector perform” to “sector outperform” and raised its price target to $84, signaling stronger conviction and a material upside from recent levels. Scotiabank upgrades Williams Companies (WMB)
• Positive Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target to $81 and moved to a “buy” view — another major analyst endorsement that supports further upside and likely helped buying interest. Citigroup raises WMB price target to $81 (Benzinga)
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel Nicolaus increased its target to $78 and kept a “buy” rating, adding to the cluster of positive analyst revisions and reinforcing expectations for near-term share appreciation. Stifel raises WMB target to $78 (Benzinga)
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor/Analyst Day transcript (Seeking Alpha) provided management commentary and strategic detail that investors can use to vet guidance and capital-allocation priorities; such details help underpin analyst re-ratings but are informational rather than immediately catalytic. The Williams Companies, Inc. (WMB) Analyst/Investor Day Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: A Benzinga retrospective on 10‑year returns is informational for long-term investors but unlikely to move shares materially today. If You Invested $100 In Williams Companies…
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 results: Williams slightly missed EPS estimates (reported EPS below consensus) though revenue beat; management flagged 2026 growth capital of $6.1–$6.7B and maintenance capex of $850–$950M — higher near-term spending that could pressure free cash flow and put focus on funding and returns. Williams Companies Q4 Earnings Miss Estimates, Revenues Beat (Zacks)

Williams Companies Company 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.