Aberdeen Group plc Boosts Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Aberdeen Group plc has increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. by 57.6% in the second quarter, acquiring an additional 17,844 shares, bringing its total to 48,844 shares worth approximately $7.9 million.
• Wall Street analysts have a mixed outlook on Williams-Sonoma, with JPMorgan Chase raising its target price to $215.00, while Evercore ISI decreased its target to $200.00, indicating varying opinions on the company's potential.
• In recent insider activity, both the EVP and CEO sold significant shares, with the CEO offloading 90,000 shares for about $18 million, marking a decrease in their ownership in the company.

Aberdeen Group plc increased its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 57.6% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 48,844 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 17,844 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $7,921,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Maseco LLP bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter valued at about $26,000. Quarry LP grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 99.0% during the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 199 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Costello Asset Management INC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 123.6% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on WSM. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $168.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 28th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $210.00 to $200.00 and set an "in-line" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $215.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, August 28th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, August 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $198.56.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP David Randolph King sold 17,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.60, for a total value of $3,563,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 98,560 shares in the company, valued at $20,066,816. This represents a 15.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 90,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.17, for a total transaction of $18,015,300.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 876,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at $175,534,477.59. The trade was a 9.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 114,153 shares of company stock worth $22,901,008. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 1.3%

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $187.51 on Friday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $197.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $175.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $22.84 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.63, a P/E/G ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.55. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $125.33 and a twelve month high of $219.98.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, August 27th. The specialty retailer reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.79 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $1.84 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 54.47%. The company's revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.74 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Sell-side analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 17th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 17th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.04%.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.

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