Principal Financial Group Inc. Decreases Stock Position in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) $WMB

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its position in Williams Companies, Inc. (The) (NYSE:WMB) by 1.7% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,792,711 shares of the pipeline company’s stock after selling 31,637 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Williams Companies were worth $130,474,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WMB. Towne Trust Company N.A boosted its stake in shares of Williams Companies by 60.2% in the fourth quarter. Towne Trust Company N.A now owns 431 shares of the pipeline company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 162 shares during the period. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Williams Companies during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Clearstead Trust LLC increased its stake in Williams Companies by 62.2% during the 4th quarter. Clearstead Trust LLC now owns 485 shares of the pipeline company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 186 shares during the period. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Finally, WHI TRUST Co LLC purchased a new position in Williams Companies in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 86.44% of the company’s stock.

Williams Companies Stock Performance

Shares of WMB stock opened at $74.32 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $90.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.60, a PEG ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 0.57. Williams Companies, Inc. has a one year low of $55.82 and a one year high of $80.07. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $74.30 and its 200-day simple moving average is $71.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.99, a quick ratio of 0.76 and a current ratio of 0.83.

Williams Companies (NYSE:WMB) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 4th. The pipeline company reported $0.73 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.63 by $0.10. Williams Companies had a return on equity of 18.34% and a net margin of 23.39%.The firm had revenue of $3.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.28 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.60 earnings per share. Williams Companies’s quarterly revenue was down .6% on a year-over-year basis. Williams Companies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 2.200-2.380 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that Williams Companies, Inc. will post 2.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams Companies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, June 12th were issued a $0.525 dividend. This represents a $2.10 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, June 12th. Williams Companies’s payout ratio is 92.11%.

Williams Companies News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Williams secured a $5.34 billion Blackstone-led investment tied to five power projects, a major vote of confidence that should strengthen its balance sheet, fund growth, and expand exposure to AI-driven power demand. Williams Lands $5.34 Billion AI Power Deal With Blackstone-Led Group
• Positive Sentiment: Morgan Stanley raised its price target on WMB to $99 from $98 and kept an overweight rating, signaling continued analyst confidence in the company’s growth outlook. Benzinga report on Morgan Stanley price target hike
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains upbeat, with reports highlighting Williams as one of the energy stocks to watch ahead of earnings, suggesting expectations for an earnings beat or solid operating momentum. Zacks article on earnings beat potential
• Neutral Sentiment: Williams announced it will report second-quarter 2026 results on Aug. 3, with the conference call set for Aug. 4, keeping investors focused on the next earnings catalyst. Williams to Report Second-Quarter 2026 Financial Results on Aug. 3; Earnings Conference Call and Webcast Scheduled for Aug. 4
• Neutral Sentiment: Investors are also weighing previews of the upcoming Q2 report, which appear centered on whether Williams can sustain earnings growth and offset modest revenue pressure. What to Expect From Williams Companies’ Q2 2026 Earnings Report

Insider Transactions at Williams Companies

In other Williams Companies news, CFO John Dean Porter sold 50,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $75.37, for a total transaction of $3,768,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 196,567 shares in the company, valued at $14,815,254.79. The trade was a 20.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Glen G. Jasek sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $78.15, for a total transaction of $195,375.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 54,101 shares in the company, valued at $4,227,993.15. This trade represents a 4.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 68,500 shares of company stock valued at $5,182,655. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group restated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen downgraded Williams Companies from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, July 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $82.00 price objective on shares of Williams Companies in a research note on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Williams Companies from $88.00 to $89.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut their target price on Williams Companies from $87.00 to $85.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 1st. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and an average price target of $83.56.

Williams Companies 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.