Aigen Investment Management LP Purchases New Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Aigen Investment Management opened a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter, buying 5,401 shares worth about $965,000.
• Williams-Sonoma reported stronger-than-expected quarterly results, with EPS of $1.93 beating estimates and revenue of $1.81 billion, up 4.4% year over year.
• The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, and analysts currently have a Moderate Buy consensus with a $211.47 price target.

Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 5,401 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $965,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 5,019.6% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 89,388 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $15,964,000 after purchasing an additional 87,642 shares in the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 972,810 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $174,473,000 after purchasing an additional 89,779 shares in the last quarter. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter worth $4,605,000. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $443,566,000 after purchasing an additional 532,995 shares in the last quarter. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 23.8% during the fourth quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 294,598 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $52,612,000 after purchasing an additional 56,578 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $223.19 on Monday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $152.20 and a 52 week high of $224.33. The company has a market capitalization of $26.28 billion, a PE ratio of 24.99, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $191.78 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $193.85.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.37 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, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.56%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.07, for a total value of $106,002.54. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 22,829 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,635,885.03. This trade represents a 2.24% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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. 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 86,892 shares of company stock worth $16,166,026 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on WSM. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $225.00 target price (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Barclays set a $190.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Bank of America began coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday. They issued a "buy" rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. Evercore set a $200.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $211.47.

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.

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.