Advisors Capital Management LLC Purchases New Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Advisors Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 252,810 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $58,930,000. Advisors Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.21% of Williams-Sonoma as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth about $2,656,062,000. Aristotle Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% in the 1st quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,031,242,000 after buying an additional 2,009,032 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $316,920,000. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $254,778,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $188,603,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. KeyCorp upped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Argus set a $230.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $231.88.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 923,524 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $184,704,800. This trade represents a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. The trade was a 4.87% 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 ninety days, insiders sold 18,156 shares of company stock valued at $3,738,699. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 2.9%

NYSE:WSM opened at $235.37 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $165.51 and a 52 week high of $254.89. The stock's fifty day moving average is $232.05 and its two-hundred day moving average is $207.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $27.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.50.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during 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 revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.85 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 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 given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is currently 34.04%.

Williams-Sonoma 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.

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