Rhumbline Advisers Raises Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Rhumbline Advisers grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 243,832 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 2,585 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers owned 0.20% of Williams-Sonoma worth $47,657,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% during the 4th 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 bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at $227,000. Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter valued at $1,644,000. Aberdeen Group plc grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 57.6% during the second quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 48,844 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $7,921,000 after buying an additional 17,844 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 272.3% during the second quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 9,240 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,510,000 after buying an additional 6,758 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Evercore ISI set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $245.00 price target (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group decreased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $202.53.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,715,497.76. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total value of $7,258,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. This represents a 4.16% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 65,767 shares of company stock valued at $12,802,440. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $214.29 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $130.07 and a one year high of $221.81. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $199.30 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $195.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.57, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.64.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.86 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.96 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 29.04%.

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.