EPD vs. WMB: Which Midstream Energy Giant Boasts Better Prospects?

Enterprise Products Partners EPD and The Williams Companies, Inc. WMB are two midstream energy giants. In the past year, WMB has jumped 45.5%, outpacing the industry’s 33.4% growth and EPD’s 14.3% surge.

Although the pricing snapshot suggests better prospects for Williams Companies, a conclusive investment case requires a deeper analysis of the overall business fundamentals and outlook for both midstream energy players.

Williams Companies Outpacing EPD in Project Execution

Williams Companies is doing pretty well while expanding its midstream operations through large, well-planned infrastructure projects that are already showing results. For example, projects like the Southeast Energy Connector and the Power Express Pipeline are not just ideas; they are either online or well underway.

Notably, Socrates is WMB’s standout project, designed to deliver natural gas power to meet the growing demand from data centers. Williams Companies has already locked in a 10-year contract for it, thereby securing predictable income for years ahead. What makes these projects special is that they’re fully contracted even before completion, which lowers financial risk and ensures stable cash flows.

Enterprise Products’ story is a little different, although it is investing in big projects, about $6 billion worth this year. Of the total, many are possibly still early in their construction or setup phases. Several are on the supply side, meaning EPD will help in gathering and processing fuel rather than transporting or selling it directly to the end markets. Hence, while the midstream developments of the partnership could pay off in the long run, WMB is already turning its plans into profits and is ahead in terms of execution.

WMB’s Strong Credit Profile and Margins

Midstream players generally have more exposure to debt capital since they need to allocate huge amounts of money to maintain a large network of pipeline and storage assets and to invest in growth projects. Despite that, Williams Companies’ credit profile looks stronger.

WMB recently received a vote of confidence from top credit agencies. S&P upgraded its credit rating to BBB+, and Moody’s gave it a positive outlook. This is great news for investors since WMB is more stable financially and hence can borrow money at favorable rates. The positive developments reflect WMB’s healthy profit margins and strong business outlook, backed by its projects being locked in with long-term contracts, securing earnings commitments.

However, during the latest earnings call of Enterprise Products, there was no mention of any recent upgrades or improved outlooks from credit agencies. This doesn't signify that EPD is in trouble, but establishes the fact that WMB is currently better off in terms of financial strength and progress, at least in the eyes of the credit-rating world.

Is WMB a Better Stock Than EPD?

Eventually, investors are willing to pay a premium for WMB, which is reflected in the valuation snapshot.

Williams Companies is currently trading at a trailing 12-month enterprise value to EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) of 17.59x. This represents a premium compared with the broader industry average of 13.95x and EPD’s 10.03x.

However, although WMB’s long-term outlook appears bright, investors shouldn’t rush to bet on the stock right away, as there are uncertainties surrounding the energy business environment, following the recent move of the United States to join Israel in striking nuclear facilities of Iran. However, those who have already invested in the stock should retain it. WMB currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

EPD’s outlook, however, is not encouraging as the partnership’s big projects are focused on gathering and processing fuel, and hence will take much longer than WMB to start making money. Hence, investors can sell the stock, which carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).

In fact, over the past 60 days, EPD has witnessed downward earnings estimate revisions for 2025 and 2026, as reflected in the snapshot below.

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This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).

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