Plato Investment Management Ltd Takes Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Plato Investment Management Ltd acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 3,652 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $846,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Aristotle Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% in the 1st quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,031,242,000 after acquiring an additional 2,009,032 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,139,477 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,199,961,000 after acquiring an additional 147,780 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 9.2% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,664,580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $485,833,000 after acquiring an additional 224,128 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,919,466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $342,797,000 after purchasing an additional 130,940 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at about $316,920,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $241.03 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $28.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.50. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $231.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $207.07. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $165.51 and a twelve month high of $254.89.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted 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. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued 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 dividend payout ratio is presently 34.04%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

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 stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing 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 business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,704,800. This represents a 1.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 18,156 shares of company stock valued at $3,738,699 in the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently weighed in on WSM. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, July 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price objective for the company. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, August 10th. Evercore set a $240.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $192.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $231.88.

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.