The Williams Companies, Inc. reported stunning results, surpassing the previous year's third-quarter adjusted EBIDTA by 12% to $153 million. This is a $383 million increase in year-to-date EBIDTA.

The third quarter as a whole was spectacular for midstream companies. Dividend increases and buyback activity highlight management's confidence in their business. For the first time in two years, no midstream index members cut any of their dividends. And The William Cos. is not an exception.

Though the vast majority of the quarter's EBIDTA growth was attributed to production in Wyoming's Greater Green River Basin's Wamsutter Field. In this regard, Williams concluded a joint venture with Denver-based Crowheart Energy in July, in which Crowheart began operating properties owned by BP Plc and Southland.

As part of this upstream joint venture, three legacy assets of BP Plc and Southland were combined with Crowheart Energy's asset base into a contiguous area totaling over 1.2 million net acres.

A JV agreement states that 75% in this collaboration belongs to Williams, while Crowheart got the remaining 25%, although Crowheart may increase its ownership stake through performance for the sake of the development program designed to enhance the value of Williams midstream assets down the road.

Williams saw success in the development of its midstream assets and retained full ownership in the Wamsutter Field's consolidated upstream position under the JV. Furthermore, the company retained real estate, surface, and other rights that will enable it to expand the midstream and renewable energy businesses in Wyoming in the coming years.

Thanks to this agreement, Williams' upstream business contributed $55 million to adjusted EBITDA this quarter alone, since, according to CFO John Chandler, the majority of the production came from Wamsutter's upstream assets. Additionally, net of ownership fees, for the quarter the company earned 232 million CFEs. And they have also benefited from upstream operations of $83 million, almost entirely from the Wamsutter properties.

Analysts expected earnings of $0.28 per share from Williams, but it reported $0.34 per share, while revenue of $2.48 billion, which by itself was a 28.6% increase over the same period in 2020, beat the analyst estimate of $2.09 billion. With a net margin of 10.67% and a return on equity of 10.84%, Williams is poised for success in the fourth quarter as well.

According to president and CEO Alan Armstrong, Williams did not only exceed market expectations this quarter in terms of its financial performance but also continued to successfully execute multiple key projects and transactions that provided the company with a clear path to sustained growth in the foreseeable future.