Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 6,442 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,175,000.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,878 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $514,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares during the period. Mutual Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Arjuna Capital lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 3,564 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $636,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Finally, Florida Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,534 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $453,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insider Activity
In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,962,117.33. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total value of $3,452,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 938,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at $161,998,627.64. The trade was a 2.09% decrease in their position. 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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 36,634 shares of company stock valued at $6,812,283. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.
Analyst Ratings Changes
WSM has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, June 12th. They set a "buy" rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. 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. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Weiss Ratings lowered Williams-Sonoma from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $215.47.
View Our Latest Report on WSM
Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance
Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $234.45 on Tuesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $165.51 and a one year high of $244.65. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $217.09 and a 200-day moving average of $202.97. The company has a market capitalization of $27.61 billion, a PE ratio of 26.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.49.
Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.85 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal 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 issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.04%.
Williams-Sonoma Profile
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Free Report)
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.
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