The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company Lowers Stake in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company reduced its position in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) by 1.9% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,049,204 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 20,123 shares during the quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company owned approximately 0.09% of Williams Companies worth $77,998,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Infrastructure Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Williams Companies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $15,277,000. Cynosure Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $647,000. Ieq Capital LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams Companies during the second quarter valued at approximately $2,504,000. SIR Capital Management L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 40.0% in the fourth quarter. SIR Capital Management L.P. now owns 525,232 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $31,572,000 after buying an additional 150,032 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Gabelli Funds LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams Companies by 7.4% during the fourth quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 261,000 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $15,689,000 after acquiring an additional 17,900 shares during the last quarter. 86.44% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on WMB. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Stifel Nicolaus assumed coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a report on Thursday. They set a “buy” rating and a $85.00 price objective for the company. Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce boosted their target price on Williams Companies from $83.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock an “outperformer” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 26th. Wall Street Zen cut Williams Companies from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, August 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on Williams Companies from $83.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 10th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $85.67.

Key Headlines Impacting Williams Companies

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 Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of NYSE:WMB opened at $72.80 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $73.35 and its 200 day moving average is $73.56. The stock has a market cap of $89.05 billion, a P/E 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 earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The pipeline company reported $0.50 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.50. The business had revenue of $3.05 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.83 billion. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 18.49% and a net margin of 25.17%.Williams Companies’s revenue was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.46 EPS. Williams Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.350-2.350 EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.45 EPS for the current year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Terrance Wilson sold 13,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.87, for a total value of $973,310.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 268,159 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,077,064.33. The trade was a 4.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 19,000 shares of company stock worth $1,414,050. Company insiders own 0.47% of the company’s stock.

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.