SFE Investment Counsel Invests $9.65 Million in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

SFE Investment Counsel bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 41,393 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $9,649,000. Williams-Sonoma makes up approximately 1.3% of SFE Investment Counsel’s portfolio, making the stock its 28th largest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Aristotle Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% in the first quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,031,242,000 after purchasing an additional 2,009,032 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth $316,920,000. Boston Partners bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth $254,778,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 102.8% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,108,589 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $202,129,000 after purchasing an additional 561,977 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 86.0% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,117,119 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $199,506,000 after buying an additional 516,593 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $241.33 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $229.71 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $206.58. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $165.51 and a twelve month high of $254.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.02, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.50.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.Williams-Sonoma’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.85 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared 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. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 34.04%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,962,117.33. This represents a 4.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at approximately $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. In the last three months, insiders sold 18,156 shares of company stock valued at $3,738,699. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WSM has been the subject of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $261.00 price target (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday. Evercore set a $240.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $231.88.

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.