Korea Investment CORP Buys Shares of 47,839 Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Korea Investment CORP bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 47,839 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $11,151,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WSM. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1,844.3% in the first quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 47,733 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $8,703,000 after purchasing an additional 45,278 shares in the last quarter. Little House Capital LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter valued at approximately $801,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 5,019.6% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 89,388 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $15,964,000 after buying an additional 87,642 shares during the period. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,173,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 23.8% in the 4th quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 294,598 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,612,000 after buying an additional 56,578 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was 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 owned 923,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $184,704,800. The trade was a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 18,156 shares of company stock worth $3,738,699. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of WSM opened at $238.05 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $28.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.50. The company’s fifty day moving average is $232.64 and its 200-day moving average is $207.87. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $165.51 and a 12 month high of $254.89.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th were issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Argus set a $230.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 29th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Citigroup restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $248.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Barclays set a $190.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $234.11.

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.