First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM – Free Report) by 9.2% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 2,664,580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 224,128 shares during the quarter. First Trust Advisors LP’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $485,833,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 5,019.6% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 89,388 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $15,964,000 after purchasing an additional 87,642 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1,844.3% in the 1st quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 47,733 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $8,703,000 after purchasing an additional 45,278 shares during the last quarter. Little House Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter worth $801,000. BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 23.8% during the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 294,598 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,612,000 after purchasing an additional 56,578 shares during the period. Finally, Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth about $1,173,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several research firms recently weighed in on WSM. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Evercore set a $200.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One investment 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 MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $212.65.
Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma
In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. This represents a 4.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $3,000,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 923,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $184,704,800. This trade represents a 1.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 36,634 shares of company stock worth $6,812,283 in the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 1.0%
NYSE WSM opened at $221.15 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $212.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $201.94. The company has a market capitalization of $26.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.76, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.49. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $165.51 and a 1-year high of $244.65.
Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM – Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.Williams-Sonoma’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.85 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.
Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend
The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.04%.
About Williams-Sonoma
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.
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