Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Stock Position Lifted by Aberdeen Group plc

Aberdeen Group plc lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 149.6% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 121,896 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 73,052 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $23,584,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 37.9% during the 3rd quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 16,398 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,205,000 after acquiring an additional 4,510 shares in the last quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the third quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp. now owns 14,593 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,852,000 after acquiring an additional 4,961 shares in the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 30.2% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 997,414 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $194,947,000 after purchasing an additional 231,489 shares during the last quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 54.9% in the second quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC now owns 24,245 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $3,961,000 after purchasing an additional 8,592 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ethic Inc. increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 153.7% in the 2nd quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 12,279 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,016,000 after purchasing an additional 7,439 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total value of $157,357.72. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,715,497.76. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total transaction of $7,258,650.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at $167,267,708.43. This trade represents a 4.16% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 65,767 shares of company stock valued at $12,802,440. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 1.4%

NYSE:WSM opened at $211.52 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $25.25 billion, a PE ratio of 23.27, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.64. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $130.07 and a 1 year high of $221.81. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $200.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $195.52.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.86 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. The business’s revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.96 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 29.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on WSM. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, December 29th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Evercore set a $215.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, November 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating and eleven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $202.11.

Williams-Sonoma Profile

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.