Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB Shares Sold by Hennessy Advisors Inc.

Hennessy Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) by 6.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 414,121 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 27,200 shares during the quarter. Williams Companies accounts for 1.0% of Hennessy Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Hennessy Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $28,148,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Williams Companies in the third quarter valued at about $23,394,000. Profund Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Williams Companies by 3.8% in the third quarter. Profund Advisors LLC now owns 49,296 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $3,351,000 after acquiring an additional 1,817 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. lifted its holdings in Williams Companies by 107.7% in the 3rd quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. now owns 127,595 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $8,673,000 after purchasing an additional 66,162 shares in the last quarter. MGO One Seven LLC boosted its position in Williams Companies by 0.8% during the third quarter. MGO One Seven LLC now owns 62,476 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $4,246,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Aprio Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Williams Companies by 2.1% in the 3rd quarter. Aprio Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,459 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $507,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. 86.44% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Terrance Wilson sold 2,000 shares of Williams Companies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $67.85, for a total transaction of $135,700.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 262,259 shares in the company, valued at $17,794,273.15. The trade was a 0.76% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders sold 17,000 shares of company stock worth $1,260,130 in the last ninety days. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WMB. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Williams Companies from $84.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 12th. Scotiabank decreased their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $86.00 to $85.00 and set a “sector outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, September 10th. UBS Group reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Williams Companies in a research report on Thursday, September 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $85.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group dropped their price objective on shares of Williams Companies from $85.00 to $83.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, October 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eighteen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams Companies presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $86.06.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

Shares of WMB opened at $74.32 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 0.48 and a quick ratio of 0.43. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $72.21 and its 200-day moving average is $72.28. Williams Companies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $56.19 and a 12-month high of $80.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 0.62.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last released its quarterly 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 for the quarter was up 9.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.46 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, December 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.5250 per share. This represents a $2.10 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, December 11th. Williams Companies’s payout ratio is currently 83.67%.

Key Headlines Impacting Williams Companies

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

• Positive Sentiment: Dividend reaffirmed: Williams approved its regular quarterly cash dividend of $0.525 per share, equivalent to $2.10 annually. The payment is scheduled for December 28, 2026, for shareholders of record on December 11. The decision reinforces WMB’s appeal as an income-oriented pipeline investment. How Raised Earnings Estimates At Williams Companies Has Changed Its Investment Story
• Positive Sentiment: Longer-term earnings estimates increased: US Capital Advisors raised its EPS forecasts for the first, second, third and fourth quarters of 2027, as well as full-year 2027 to $2.24 from $2.07 and full-year 2028 to $2.81 from $2.67. The revisions suggest analysts see improving growth potential from Williams’ infrastructure and gathering operations. Williams Companies analyst estimate revisions
• Positive Sentiment: Options activity indicates bullish positioning: Traders purchased a large volume of WMB call options, signaling that some market participants are positioning for additional upside, although options activity does not guarantee a change in fundamentals. Stock Traders Purchase Large Volume of Williams Companies Call Options
• Neutral Sentiment: Q3 earnings expectations remain the immediate focus: Analysts are evaluating operating metrics such as gathering volumes and segment EBITDA ahead of Williams’ quarterly report. Current estimates center on approximately $0.51 in Q3 EPS, with attention on whether results support the company’s full-year outlook. Gear Up for The Williams Companies Q3 Earnings
• Negative Sentiment: Near-term estimates were trimmed: US Capital Advisors reduced its Q3 2026 EPS forecast from $0.54 to $0.51 and its full-year 2026 forecast from $2.34 to $2.33. The revisions are small but could limit near-term enthusiasm ahead of earnings.
• Negative Sentiment: Interest-rate risk remains a concern: Commentary warns that rising rates could pressure the broader bull market. Although pipelines are viewed as relatively defensive, higher borrowing costs can weigh on valuation and dividend-focused stocks such as WMB. Why Rising Rates Could Break the Bull Market

Williams Companies Company Profile

The Williams Companies, Inc is an energy infrastructure company headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Founded in 1908 as Williams Brothers, the company has evolved from an early pipeline contractor into a major operator of natural gas infrastructure in the United States.

Williams primarily gathers, processes, transports and stores natural gas and natural gas liquids. Its assets include interstate and regional pipelines, gas processing and fractionation facilities, storage operations, and gathering systems that connect producers with utilities, industrial customers, power generators and other energy markets.