Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Acquired by Advisors Capital Management LLC

Advisors Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 1.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 244,254 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 4,370 shares during the period. Advisors Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $47,740,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth about $212,107,000. Voya Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 184.3% in the third quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 861,236 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $167,927,000 after acquiring an additional 558,311 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.6% during the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,741,639 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $284,532,000 after buying an additional 407,929 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 30.0% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,736,466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $283,686,000 after acquiring an additional 401,138 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 44.9% during the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,256,734 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $205,317,000 after acquiring an additional 389,548 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price objective (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. UBS Group set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Evercore set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. One 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $202.11.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 1.4%

WSM stock opened at $211.52 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $25.25 billion, a PE ratio of 23.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.64. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $200.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $195.52. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $130.07 and a fifty-two week high of $221.81.

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

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the 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 completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. This represents a 4.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total value of $157,357.72. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at $2,715,497.76. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold 65,767 shares of company stock valued at $12,802,440 over the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.