Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Acquired by JGP Wealth Management LLC

JGP Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 30.0% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 58,844 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 13,578 shares during the quarter. Williams-Sonoma accounts for approximately 1.2% of JGP Wealth Management LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. JGP Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $13,717,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. MidFirst Bank acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Ballast Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% during the first quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on WSM shares. Argus set a $230.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 price objective (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $217.82.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at $4,962,117.33. This represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 directly owned 923,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $184,704,800. This trade represents a 1.60% 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 sold 36,634 shares of company stock valued at $6,812,283 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $248.60 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $223.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $204.73. The stock has a market cap of $29.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.84, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.50. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $165.51 and a one year high of $252.99.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for 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 firm’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.85 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 34.04%.

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.