DTM vs WMB: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

Same yardstick, side by side (as of October 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. DTM and WMB share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined DTM and WMB exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

DT Midstream is a U.S. natural gas midstream company that became a standalone public entity in 2021 when it was spun off from DTE Energy. It owns and operates pipelines, gathering systems, compression, and storage that connect major supply basins, principally the Haynesville in Louisiana and the Appalachian region, to utilities, power generators, industrial users, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) export terminals on the Gulf Coast. The business runs across two reporting segments: a Pipeline segment (interstate and intrastate transmission plus storage, including assets like LEAP and Stonewall) and a Gathering segment (including the Blue Union system in the Haynesville), and its revenue is heavily weighted toward long-term, fee-based contracts that reduce direct exposure to natural gas prices.

Full DTM guide

The Williams Companies, Inc. (NYSE: WMB) is a Tulsa-based energy infrastructure company focused almost entirely on natural gas. Its crown jewel is Transco, an interstate pipeline running more than 10,000 miles from south Texas and the Gulf Coast up the Atlantic Seaboard to the New York City area, complemented by the Northwest Pipeline in the Pacific Northwest and an extensive footprint of gathering, processing, and storage assets in basins such as the Marcellus and Haynesville. Williams makes most of its money through long-term, fee-based and capacity-reservation contracts under which customers pay to reserve and use pipeline space largely regardless of how much gas actually flows, which gives its cash flows a utility-like stability. Across its systems, Williams handles roughly a third of the natural gas used in the United States.

Full WMB guide

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

• DTM drivers: LNG and power-demand pull; Haynesville gathering growth.
• WMB drivers: Fee-based gas transport core; LNG export and Transco expansion growth.

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: DTM is concentrated in dry natural gas and two core basins, so a sustained downturn in Haynesville or Appalachian drilling, or weaker gas demand, would pressure volumes and growth. For WMB, williams carries meaningful leverage, with total debt of roughly $30.8 billion as of mid-2026 (net debt was about $29.5 billion at the end of FY2025), so a period of higher-for-longer interest rates would raise refinancing costs and could compress free cash flow.

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick DTM if you believe its drivers more; WMB if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the DTM and WMB guides.

DTM. DTM still trades at a premium midstream multiple, about 27 times trailing earnings and 17 times EV to EBITDA. The premium rests on its pure-play natural gas focus and visible growth backlog, though the multiple has compressed with a roughly 14% three-month price decline. Second-quarter 2026 EPS of $1.09 missed the $1.15 estimate, and consensus for the September quarter, reported October 29, is about $1.09 on roughly $333 million of revenue.

WMB. Reading a midstream C-corp like Williams is less about GAAP net income and more about contracted cash flow: adjusted EBITDA, available funds from operations, dividend coverage and net debt to EBITDA. At about 16.7 times EBITDA and 26 times forward earnings in October 2026, the market is paying for durability plus growth from Transco expansions and power projects, and analysts' average target near $85 sits above the $69.89 close. Because Williams is a C-corporation, the payout is reported on a 1099 rather than a K-1. Figures are from Yahoo Finance and company reports as of October 16, 2026.

Headline figures (approximate, October 2026): DTM shows revenue (ttm) ~$1.31B, revenue growth (latest quarter, yoy) ~11%, q2 2026 revenue ~$343M, net income (ttm) ~$468M (~36% margin); WMB shows revenue (ttm) ~$12.3 billion; Q2 2026 revenue ~$3.05 billion, up ~8% YoY, adjusted ebitda FY2025 ~$7.75 billion (up ~9%); 2026 guidance midpoint ~$8.2 billion, net income (ttm) ~$3.07 billion; operating margin ~40%, p/e ~28x trailing, ~26x forward; EV/EBITDA ~16.7x.

DTM and WMB are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined DTM and WMB exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.