ING Groep NV Sells 184,291 Shares of Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

ING Groep NV decreased its position in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) by 53.9% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 157,870 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 184,291 shares during the quarter. ING Groep NV’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $10,001,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Private Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 104.8% in the second quarter. Private Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 469 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Hartford Funds Management Co LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp purchased a new position in Williams Companies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Legacy Investment Solutions LLC bought a new position in Williams Companies in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Salomon & Ludwin LLC purchased a new stake in Williams Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at $35,000. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams Companies news, SVP Terrance Lane Wilson sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.39, for a total value of $132,780.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 293,545 shares in the company, valued at $19,488,452.55. This represents a 0.68% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.44% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Williams Companies Price Performance

Shares of Williams Companies stock opened at $71.16 on Thursday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $62.35 and its 200 day moving average is $60.62. Williams Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $51.58 and a one year high of $71.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.73, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.42. The stock has a market cap of $86.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 33.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 0.65.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 10th. The pipeline company reported $0.55 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.57 by ($0.02). Williams Companies had a return on equity of 17.37% and a net margin of 21.90%.The company had revenue of $3.20 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.10 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.47 EPS. Williams Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.200-2.380 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Williams Companies, Inc. 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 paid a dividend of $0.525 per share. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 13th. This is a positive change from Williams Companies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.50. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 98.13%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WMB has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on Williams Companies from $71.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 3rd. Mizuho upgraded Williams Companies to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, October 27th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Williams Companies from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. UBS Group reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Monday, January 12th. Finally, TD Cowen boosted their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $69.00 to $70.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 6th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have issued a Buy rating and six have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $70.43.

Key Williams Companies News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company reported record 2025 results with strong revenue, operating profit and cash flow that underpin the growth narrative; management is hosting analyst day and highlighting long-term gas demand tailwinds. Williams Delivers Record Results (BusinessWire)
• Positive Sentiment: Management and analysts point to pipeline and offshore projects plus rising data-center and power demand as drivers of higher 2026 profits and longer-term volume growth. Williams Sees Higher 2026 Profit (Reuters)
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street is turning more bullish: Wells Fargo raised its target to $80 (overweight) and RBC raised its target to $78 (outperform), adding fresh analyst support and visible upside from current levels. Broker Notes (Benzinga) RBC Raise (TickerReport)
• Positive Sentiment: Market technicals and investor focus on near-term natural gas demand (industrial, AI/data centers, LNG exports) are supporting buyer interest and a breakout to new highs. MarketBeat Coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: FY‑2026 EPS guidance was set at $2.20–$2.38, roughly in line with consensus — reinforces guidance visibility but leaves limited surprise potential. Company Press Release / Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Unusually heavy put-option activity was recorded (large put purchases), which could reflect hedging or speculative positioning rather than outright bearish conviction. (No direct article link available)
• Negative Sentiment: Q4 adjusted EPS missed estimates ($0.55 vs. ~ $0.57–$0.58 consensus), which is a near-term drag on upside momentum despite the revenue beat. EPS Miss (Zacks) Earnings Context (MarketBeat)
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling activity has been reported (recent open-market sales), which some investors view as a modest governance/near-term signal to monitor. Insider / Institutional Activity (Quiver)

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.