Legal & General Group Plc Purchases Shares of 615,728 Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Posted by George Bondi on Aug 28th, 2026

Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM – Free Report) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 615,728 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $143,526,000. Legal & General Group Plc owned approximately 0.52% of Williams-Sonoma as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Arjuna Capital lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 3,564 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $636,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,534 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $453,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,357 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $242,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total transaction of $128,615.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,975,846.05. This represents a 2.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,156 shares of company stock valued at $738,699. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $238.22 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $28.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.38, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.50. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $165.51 and a 1 year high of $254.89. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $233.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $208.30.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.02. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.73% and a return on equity of 53.48%. The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.00 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th were issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 34.04%.

Key Stories Impacting Williams-Sonoma

Here are the key news stories impacting Williams-Sonoma this week:

Positive Sentiment: Results exceeded expectations: Williams-Sonoma reported adjusted EPS of $2.10 versus the approximately $2.05–$2.08 consensus, while revenue rose 6.7% year over year to $1.96 billion, above estimates of roughly $1.93 billion. Williams-Sonoma earnings report
Positive Sentiment: Comparable sales and guidance improved: Comparable brand revenue grew 6.2%, with every major brand reportedly posting positive comps. Management raised fiscal 2026 revenue guidance to $8.2 billion–$8.4 billion and forecast comparable-brand growth of 4.0%–6.5%, signaling confidence in continued market-share gains. Williams-Sonoma guidance article
Positive Sentiment: Analysts lifted selected targets: KeyBanc raised its price target to $270, while Royal Bank of Canada reiterated “outperform” with a $260 target. Citigroup also increased its target to $252 from $248, although it maintained a neutral rating. Analyst target updates
Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street remains divided: Morgan Stanley raised its target to $240 but kept an “equal weight” rating; Guggenheim reaffirmed “neutral,” and Barclays maintained “hold.” This suggests the earnings beat is recognized, but valuation and execution risks remain concerns.
Negative Sentiment: Tariffs continue to pressure profitability: Adjusted margins declined despite the sales beat, with higher tariff costs creating a risk to earnings if they persist. Housing-market weakness and cautious consumers also remain potential headwinds. Williams-Sonoma tariff and margin article

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $270.00 price objective (up from $250.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group set a $275.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Wednesday. Evercore set a $245.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $244.44.

View Our Latest Stock Report on Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma Profile

(Free Report)

Williams‑Sonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on the home and culinary markets, best known for premium cookware, kitchen tools and home furnishings. The company traces its roots to a single cookware store founded by Chuck Williams in 1956 in Sonoma, California, and has evolved into a multi‑brand home furnishings and housewares business. Its merchandise mix spans cookware and kitchen electrics, tabletop and food prep items, furniture, bedding, lighting and decorative accessories designed for both everyday use and higher‑end interiors.

The company operates a portfolio of consumer brands that target distinct segments of the home market.