Tariffs and trade barriers
190 of 521 companies added a paragraph in Risk Factors that uses one of these words:
tariff, tariffs, trade war, import duties, customs duties, export controls.
The paragraph is in the latest 10-K and nothing like it was in the one before.
It counts text; it does not say how serious a risk is. Words in capitals only (such as AI) must be in capitals.
By sector
Sector is the SEC's industry description of the company. Each count opens that sector's quotes below.
| Sector | Companies | Compared |
|---|---|---|
| Arrangement of Transportation of Freight & Cargo | 2 | 2 |
| Cutlery, Handtools & General Hardware | 2 | 2 |
| Instruments For Meas & Testing of Electricity & Elec Signals | 2 | 2 |
| Optical Instruments & Lenses | 2 | 2 |
| Aircraft | 1 | 1 |
| Aircraft & Parts | 1 | 1 |
| Apparel & Other Finishd Prods of Fabrics & Similar Matl | 1 | 1 |
| Canned, Fruits, Veg, Preserves, Jams & Jellies | 1 | 1 |
| Communications Equipment, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Communications Services, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus | 1 | 1 |
| Engines & Turbines | 1 | 1 |
| Farm Machinery & Equipment | 1 | 1 |
| Gas & Other Services Combined | 1 | 1 |
| General Industrial Machinery & Equipment, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Grain Mill Products | 1 | 1 |
| Guided Missiles & Space Vehicles & Parts | 1 | 1 |
| Heavy Construction Other Than Bldg Const - Contractors | 1 | 1 |
| Leather & Leather Products | 1 | 1 |
| Meat Packing Plants | 1 | 1 |
| Metal Mining | 1 | 1 |
| Misc Industrial & Commercial Machinery & Equipment | 1 | 1 |
| Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products | 1 | 1 |
| Oil & Gas Field Machinery & Equipment | 1 | 1 |
| Ophthalmic Goods | 1 | 1 |
| Ordnance & Accessories, (No Vehicles/Guided Missiles) | 1 | 1 |
| Paper Mills | 1 | 1 |
| Poultry Slaughtering and Processing | 1 | 1 |
| Radiotelephone Communications | 1 | 1 |
| Retail-Eating & Drinking Places | 1 | 1 |
| Retail-Home Furniture, Furnishings & Equipment Stores | 1 | 1 |
| Retail-Radio, Tv & Consumer Electronics Stores | 1 | 1 |
| Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services | 1 | 1 |
| Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management | 1 | 1 |
| Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Special Industry Machinery, NEC | 1 | 1 |
| Telephone & Telegraph Apparatus | 1 | 1 |
| Television Broadcasting Stations | 1 | 1 |
| Wholesale-Motor Vehicle Supplies & New Parts | 1 | 1 |
| Biological Products, (No Diagnostic Substances) | 4 | 5 |
| Laboratory Analytical Instruments | 4 | 5 |
| Semiconductors & Related Devices | 11 | 15 |
| Computer & office Equipment | 2 | 3 |
| Computer Communications Equipment | 2 | 3 |
| Electronic Computers | 2 | 3 |
| Measuring & Controlling Devices, NEC | 2 | 3 |
| Natural Gas Transmission | 2 | 3 |
| Plastic Materials, Synth Resins & Nonvulcan Elastomers | 2 | 3 |
| Services-Consumer Credit Reporting, Collection Agencies | 2 | 3 |
| Wholesale-Drugs, Proprietaries & Druggists' Sundries | 2 | 3 |
| Pharmaceutical Preparations | 7 | 11 |
| Industrial Instruments For Measurement, Display, and Control | 3 | 5 |
| Orthopedic, Prosthetic & Surgical Appliances & Supplies | 3 | 5 |
| Finance Services | 15 | 28 |
| Services-Business Services, NEC | 8 | 16 |
| Motor Vehicles & Passenger Car Bodies | 2 | 4 |
| Retail-Eating Places | 2 | 4 |
| Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys | 2 | 4 |
| Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services | 2 | 4 |
| Agricultural Chemicals | 1 | 2 |
| Aircraft Engines & Engine Parts | 1 | 2 |
| Fats & Oils | 1 | 2 |
| Industrial Organic Chemicals | 1 | 2 |
| Men's & Boys' Furnishgs, Work Clothg, & Allied Garments | 1 | 2 |
| Paperboard Containers & Boxes | 1 | 2 |
| Printed Circuit Boards | 1 | 2 |
| Rubber & Plastics Footwear | 1 | 2 |
| Services-General Medical & Surgical Hospitals, NEC | 1 | 2 |
| Services-Medical Laboratories | 1 | 2 |
| Services-To Dwellings & Other Buildings | 1 | 2 |
| Telephone Communications (No Radiotelephone) | 1 | 2 |
| Trucking (No Local) | 1 | 2 |
| Beverages | 2 | 5 |
| Computer Storage Devices | 2 | 5 |
| Retail-Variety Stores | 2 | 5 |
| Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. | 2 | 5 |
| Investment Advice | 3 | 8 |
| National Commercial Banks | 4 | 11 |
| Electric Services | 5 | 15 |
| Electric & Other Services Combined | 4 | 12 |
| Air-Cond & Warm Air Heatg Equip & Comm & Indl Refrig Equip | 1 | 3 |
| Electrical Work | 1 | 3 |
| General Industrial Machinery & Equipment | 1 | 3 |
| Life Insurance | 1 | 3 |
| Perfumes, Cosmetics & Other Toilet Preparations | 1 | 3 |
| Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research | 1 | 3 |
| Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design | 1 | 3 |
| Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus | 3 | 10 |
| Real Estate Investment Trusts | 8 | 27 |
| Crude Petroleum & Natural Gas | 2 | 7 |
| Fire, Marine & Casualty Insurance | 3 | 12 |
| Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) | 1 | 4 |
| Services-Prepackaged Software | 4 | 19 |
| Petroleum Refining | 1 | 6 |
| State Commercial Banks | 1 | 6 |
| Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies | 1 | 7 |
454 paragraphs · Natural Gas Transmission show all sectors
Changes in U.S. trade policy and the impact of tariffs may have a material adverse effect on our business and results of operations.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 13, 2026 ↗
Our business and results of operations may be adversely affected by uncertainty and changes in U.S. trade policies, including tariffs, trade agreements, or other trade restrictions imposed by the U.S. or other governments. For example, in 2025, the U.S. government announced multiple tariffs on several foreign jurisdictions and imports into the U.S. Several of these tariff announcements have been followed by announcements of limited exemptions and temporary pauses. These actions have caused substantial uncertainty and volatility in financial markets. Additionally, in response to these actions, certain governments have announced retaliatory measures against the U.S. and/or are in the process of negotiating with the U.S on tariff agreements. While the U.S. government has announced various trade deals, many such agreements are preliminary and may be subject to change. Further, any future disagreement between the U.S. government and other countries over the implementation of trade deals or any failure to obtain required governmental approvals or otherwise reach a final agreement could result in prolonged uncertainty regarding the scope and duration of such trade actions by the U.S. government and other countries.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 13, 2026 ↗
In August 2025, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that many of the tariffs imposed under the Trump Administration exceed presidential authority and therefore are invalid, though the decision has been stayed pending U.S. Supreme Court review. This ruling introduces additional uncertainty as to the scope and durability of existing and future tariff measures.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 13, 2026 ↗
Our business requires access to steel and other materials to construct and maintain our pipelines. Any imposition of or increase in tariffs on imports of steel or other materials, as well as corresponding price increases for such materials available domestically, could increase our construction costs and our costs to maintain our assets. To the extent that we are unable to pass all or any such cost increases on to our customers, such cost increases could adversely affect our returns on investment. Higher materials costs could also diminish our ability to develop new projects at acceptable returns, particularly during times of economic uncertainty, and limit our ability to pursue growth opportunities.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 13, 2026 ↗
Tariffs or other trade restrictions may lead to continuing uncertainty and volatility in U.S. and global financial and economic conditions and commodity markets, declining consumer confidence, significant inflation, and diminished expectations for the economy, and ultimately reduced demand for our and our customers’ products and services. Such conditions could have a material adverse impact on our business, results of operations, and cash flows. Also, disruptions and volatility in the financial markets may lead to adverse changes in the availability, terms, and cost of capital. Such adverse changes could increase our costs of capital and limit our access to external financing sources to fund acquisitions, capital projects, or refinancing of debt maturities on similar terms, which could in turn reduce our cash flows and limit our ability to pursue growth opportunities.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 13, 2026 ↗
Changes in tariffs and trade restrictions can be announced with little or no advance notice. The adoption and expansion of tariffs or other trade restrictions, increasing trade tensions, or other changes in governmental policies related to taxes, tariffs, trade agreements, or policies, are difficult to predict, which makes attendant risks difficult to anticipate and mitigate. If we are unable to navigate further changes in U.S. or international trade policy, it could have a material adverse impact on our business and results of operations.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 13, 2026 ↗
Further, Williams has invested in several power innovation projects and continues to evaluate power innovation projects related to data center growth. Additional risks associated with identifying, evaluating, and executing on power innovation projects may include accurately predicting future power needs of data centers due to rapidly changing technology and market dynamics, which could result in underutilized or stranded assets; managing the potential power demand; obtaining or constructing power generation sources, including sourcing turbines and batteries and maintaining other transmission capabilities to meet potential load growth from any data center customer; financing the capital investment needed to build and maintain the necessary infrastructure to support data center development; managing community opposition; managing the possible environmental impact of power innovation projects, and evaluating and complying with evolving regulations related to data center development. Risks associated with construction are similar to those described above for other capital projects, including obtaining long-lead specialized equipment and materials, such that projects are completed, on time or at all, and the risk that construction cost overruns, including due to inflation or the imposition of tariffs on foreign-made materials and goods necessary to conduct business, could cause total project costs to exceed budgeted costs. Williams’ behind the meter power generation projects require the constant, reliable production of electricity, which if not met, may result in contractual penalties and reputational damage, among other consequences. If realized, any of these risks could have an adverse impact on Williams’ financial condition, results of operations, including the possible impairment of assets, or cash flows.
Read in the 10-K filed Feb 24, 2026 ↗