Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Stock: ProShare Advisors LLC Grows Stake

ProShare Advisors LLC grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 59.2% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 30,266 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 11,260 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $6,899,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Latitude Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. IMG Wealth Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth $31,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. Ballast Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% during the first quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WSM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings raised Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Argus boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, September 2nd. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $248.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Guggenheim restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $247.89.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,045 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.61, for a total value of $671,757.45. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,531,184.18. The trade was a 8.19% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, October 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $239.36, for a total value of $124,945.92. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 19,673 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,708,929.28. The trade was a 2.58% 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 a total of 39,883 shares of company stock worth $8,867,518 over the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE:WSM opened at $269.82 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $165.51 and a fifty-two week high of $271.89. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $237.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $215.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $31.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.62, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.49.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.48% and a net margin of 14.73%. The company had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.00 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.50 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 16th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 31.12%.

Williams-Sonoma Profile

Williams-Sonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on home furnishings, décor, kitchenware and related products. The company operates a portfolio of lifestyle brands, including Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, West Elm, Pottery Barn Kids, Rejuvenation and Mark & Graham.

Its products include cookware, tableware, appliances, furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, home accessories, gifts and personalized merchandise. Williams-Sonoma reaches customers through e-commerce websites, retail stores, catalogs and trade and contract sales, serving both individual consumers and professional customers such as interior designers and hospitality businesses.

Founded in 1956 by Chuck Williams, the company began as a retailer specializing in high-quality French cookware before expanding into a broader home-focused portfolio.