Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB Shares Sold by The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its position in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,049,204 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 20,123 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $77,998,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Main Street Group LTD acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the 1st quarter worth $26,000. Motiv8 Investments LLC acquired a new position in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Allied Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Williams Companies during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Bayforest Capital Ltd purchased a new stake in Williams Companies in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Clearstead Trust LLC raised its stake in Williams Companies by 62.2% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 485 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Williams Companies

In related news, SVP Terrance Wilson sold 13,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.87, for a total transaction of $973,310.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 268,159 shares in the company, valued at $20,077,064.33. The trade was a 4.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders have sold 19,000 shares of company stock worth $1,414,050 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.47% of the company’s stock.

Williams Companies Trading Down 0.0%

Williams Companies stock opened at $72.80 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $73.35 and a 200 day moving average price of $73.56. The company has a market capitalization of $89.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 0.59. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $56.19 and a 52 week high of $80.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The pipeline company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.50. Williams Companies had a net margin of 25.17% and a return on equity of 18.49%. The company had revenue of $3.05 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.83 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.46 EPS. Williams Companies’s quarterly revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. Williams Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.350-2.350 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.45 EPS for the current year.

Williams Companies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, September 11th will be paid a $0.525 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, September 11th. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.9%. Williams Companies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 83.67%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Barclays boosted their price target on Williams Companies from $73.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $82.00 price objective on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Williams Companies from $88.00 to $89.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $85.67.

More Williams Companies News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Williams announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.53 per share, payable September 28 to eligible shareholders. The payment reinforces the company’s income appeal, although the September 11 ex-dividend date can also create a mechanical downward adjustment in the share price. Williams Companies Inc’s Dividend Analysis
• Positive Sentiment: Stifel initiated coverage with a Buy rating and an $85 price target, implying meaningful upside from recent trading levels. Stifel coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Scotiabank maintained a Sector Outperform rating and reduced its target only modestly, from $86 to $85. The continued bullish rating suggests analysts see value despite the adjustment.
• Neutral Sentiment: Growing LNG, NGL and crude-oil export demand is driving increased midstream mergers and acquisitions. The trend could improve the industry’s infrastructure outlook, but the article does not identify a direct transaction involving Williams. Export and power demand drive M&A wave
• Neutral Sentiment: Options activity was unusually high, with investors purchasing 17,029 put contracts—54% above average. This signals increased hedging or bearish positioning, but it does not necessarily predict the stock’s direction.
• Negative Sentiment: A court ruling reversed a key water permit for Williams’ NESE pipeline, creating another regulatory obstacle. Delays or additional costs could weaken the project’s expected growth contribution and are likely the most significant source of near-term pressure. Williams NESE pipeline court ruling
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent commentary highlights Williams’ competitive position in the Northeast, while another report compares its performance with the Dow; neither item provides a clearly new earnings or valuation catalyst. Williams tackles the Northeast

Williams Companies Profile

Williams Companies, Inc is an energy infrastructure company focused primarily on gathering, processing, transporting and storing natural gas and natural gas liquids. The company provides the infrastructure and related services that connect natural gas supplies with utilities, power generators, industrial customers, liquefied natural gas facilities and other markets.

Williams operates a large network of interstate and regional natural gas pipelines, gathering systems, processing facilities and storage assets across the United States.