AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Buys New Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• AEGON Asset Management UK opened a Williams-Sonoma position, buying 52,941 shares worth approximately $12.1 million in the third quarter. Institutional investors collectively own 99.29% of the company’s stock.
• Analysts have a “Moderate Buy” consensus on WSM, with an average price target of $249.17; ten analysts rate it Buy and eight rate it Hold.
• Williams-Sonoma’s latest quarterly results beat expectations: earnings were $2.10 per share versus $2.08 forecast, while revenue of $1.96 billion rose 6.7% year over year.

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 52,941 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $12,067,000.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,656,062,000. Aristotle Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% in the first quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,031,242,000 after acquiring an additional 2,009,032 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at approximately $264,441,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth approximately $188,603,000. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth approximately $166,622,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WSM has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen reissued a "buy" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, August 10th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Monday, August 31st. Telsey Advisory Group set a $260.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Argus upped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $249.17.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $261.46 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $30.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.49. The business has a 50-day moving average of $239.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $216.25. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $165.51 and a 1 year high of $274.45.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.93 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.48% and a net margin of 14.73%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.00 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.50 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 16th. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is currently 31.12%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Friday, October 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $239.36, for a total transaction of $124,945.92. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 19,673 shares in the company, valued at $4,708,929.28. This trade represents a 2.58% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,045 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.61, for a total transaction of $671,757.45. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at $7,531,184.18. This represents a 8.19% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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. Insiders have sold a total of 39,361 shares of company stock worth $8,738,903 over the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on home furnishings, kitchenware and related products. Its portfolio includes Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids and Teen, West Elm, Rejuvenation, and Mark and Graham, with offerings ranging from cookware and furniture to lighting, textiles, décor and gifts.

Founded in 1956 by Chuck Williams as a cookware shop in Sonoma, California, the company has grown into a multichannel retailer. It sells through its websites and retail stores, serving customers in North America and select international markets.

Laura Alber is the company's chief executive officer.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.