UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to Section 13 OR 15(d)
of The Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported):
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
| (State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) |
(IRS Employer Identification No.) |
| (Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:
NOT APPLICABLE
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report.)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
| Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
| Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
| Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
| Title of each class |
Trading Symbol(s) |
Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (§230.405 of this chapter) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (§240.12b-2 of this chapter).
Emerging growth company
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
| Item 8.01 | Other Events. |
On September 3, 2026, The Williams Companies, Inc. (the “Company”) filed a prospectus supplement to the Company’s existing effective shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-277232) registering the resale by the selling securityholders named therein of up to 26,874,496 shares of the Company’s common stock, par value $1.00 per share (the “Shares”), under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
A copy of the opinion regarding the validity of the Shares is attached hereto as Exhibit 5.1 and incorporated herein by reference.
| Item 9.01. | Financial Statements and Exhibits |
(d) Exhibits.
| Exhibit No. |
Description | |
| 5.1 | Opinion of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP. | |
| 23.1 | Consent of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP (contained in its opinion filed as Exhibit 5.1 and incorporated herein by reference). | |
| 104 | Cover Page Interactive Data File (embedded within the Inline XBRL document). | |
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
| Dated: September 3, 2026 | THE WILLIAMS COMPANIES, INC. | |||||
| (Registrant) | ||||||
| By: | /s/ JOHN D. PORTER | |||||
| John D. Porter | ||||||
| Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer | ||||||
| (Principal Financial Officer) | ||||||
Exhibit 5.1
|
Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP 450 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10017 davispolk.com |
September 3, 2026
The Williams Companies, Inc.
One Williams Center
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74172
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The Williams Companies, Inc. a Delaware corporation (the “Parent”), has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission a Registration Statement on Form S-3 (File No. 333-277232) (the “Registration Statement”) for the purpose of registering under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), certain securities, including up to 26,874,496 shares of its common stock, par value $1.00 per share (the “Common Stock”), that may be sold by the selling stockholders named in the Registration Statement (the “Selling Stockholders”).
We, as your counsel, have examined originals or copies of such documents, corporate records, certificates of public officials and other instruments as we have deemed necessary or advisable for the purpose of rendering this opinion.
In rendering the opinion expressed herein, we have, without independent inquiry or investigation, assumed that (i) all documents submitted to us as originals are authentic and complete, (ii) all documents submitted to us as copies conform to authentic, complete originals, (iii) all signatures on all documents that we reviewed are genuine, (iv) all natural persons executing documents had and have the legal capacity to do so, (v) all statements in certificates of public officials and officers of the Company that we reviewed were and are accurate and (vi) all representations made by the Company as to matters of fact in the documents that we reviewed were and are accurate.
Based upon the foregoing, and subject to the additional assumptions and qualifications set forth below, we advise you that, in our opinion, the shares of Common Stock proposed to be sold by the Selling Stockholders have been duly authorized and validly issued and are fully paid and non-assessable.
We are members of the Bar of the State of New York and the foregoing opinion is limited to the laws of the State of New York and the General Corporation Law of the State of Delaware.
We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to a report on Form 8-K to be filed by the Company on the date hereof and its incorporation by reference into the Registration Statement and further consent to the reference to our name under the caption “Legal Matters” in the prospectus supplement, which is a part of the Registration Statement. In giving this consent, we do not admit that we are in the category of persons whose consent is required under Section 7 of the Securities Act.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP