Bank of New York Mellon Corp Purchases Shares of 809,109 Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 809,109 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $188,603,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned 0.69% of Williams-Sonoma as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,248,000 after purchasing an additional 1,236 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $227,000. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $1,644,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 9.0% during the 2nd quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 4,153 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $678,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 5.9% in the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,631 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $757,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at $184,704,800. This represents a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 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 dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. This represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 18,156 shares of company stock worth $3,738,699 in the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 0.7%

NYSE:WSM opened at $237.34 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $165.51 and a 12 month high of $254.89. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $232.33 and a two-hundred day moving average of $207.75. The firm has a market cap of $27.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.50.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS 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 business's revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th were issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on WSM. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a "buy" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, August 14th. Argus set a $230.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Bank of America began coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, June 12th. They set a "buy" rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $261.00 price objective (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut Williams-Sonoma from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $231.88.

About Williams-Sonoma

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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