Commerce Bank Makes New $2.21 Million Investment in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Commerce Bank bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 9,468 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,207,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WSM. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,248,000 after purchasing an additional 1,236 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $227,000. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth approximately $1,644,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 9.0% during the second quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 4,153 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $678,000 after buying an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 5.9% during the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $757,000 after buying an additional 260 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $184,704,800. This represents a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 sold a total of 18,156 shares of company stock valued at $3,738,699 in the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.2%

Shares of WSM stock opened at $238.05 on Tuesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $165.51 and a 52 week high of $254.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.03 billion, a PE ratio of 26.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.50. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $232.64 and a two-hundred day moving average of $207.87.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WSM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings cut Williams-Sonoma from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, August 13th. Credit Suisse Group set a $261.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday. Evercore set a $240.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.