BlackRock Inc. Makes New $2.66 Billion Investment in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

BlackRock Inc. acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 11,394,517 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $2,656,062,000. BlackRock Inc. owned about 9.68% of Williams-Sonoma as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WSM. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. MidFirst Bank purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Ballast Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% in the first quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $242.34 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.54 billion, a PE ratio of 27.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.50. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $165.51 and a 12 month high of $254.89. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $231.71 and a 200-day simple moving average of $207.33.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (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 business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.85 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is 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 currently 34.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WSM. Citigroup restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $248.00 target price (up from $200.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Bank of America assumed coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, June 12th. They set a "buy" rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $261.00 price target (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $192.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Argus set a $230.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 29th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $231.88.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,704,800. The trade was a 1.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total value of $128,615.58. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,975,846.05. This trade represents a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 18,156 shares of company stock worth $3,738,699. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Company 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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