Gateway Wealth Partners LLC Has $1.60 Million Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Gateway Wealth Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 337.7% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 8,753 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,753 shares during the period. Gateway Wealth Partners LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,596,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. MidFirst Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% in the 1st quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WSM. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Evercore set a $200.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Barclays set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Argus set a $230.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $215.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total transaction of $3,452,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 938,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $161,998,627.64. This trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 36,634 shares of company stock worth $6,812,283 over the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $236.62 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $218.39 and a 200-day moving average of $203.28. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $165.51 and a twelve month high of $244.65. The firm has a market cap of $27.86 billion, a PE ratio of 26.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 1.49.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.85 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. 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 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 34.04%.

Williams-Sonoma Company 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.