EP Wealth Advisors LLC Invests $1.28 Million in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• EP Wealth Advisors acquired a new $1.28 million stake in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter, purchasing 5,514 shares. Institutional investors collectively own 99.29% of the company.
• Williams-Sonoma reported quarterly EPS of $1.93, beating estimates by $0.13, while revenue rose 4.4% year over year to $1.81 billion. The company also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.76, yielding approximately 1.3% annually.
• The stock has a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating, with analysts’ average price target at $231.88; recent insider transactions included sales by CEO Laura Alber and EVP Karalyn Yearout under pre-arranged trading plans.

EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 5,514 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,285,000.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 4.2% in the 4th quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $247,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Arjuna Capital grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 3,564 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $636,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,534 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $453,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.7% during the 4th quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,357 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $242,000 after purchasing an additional 61 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.1%

NYSE WSM opened at $237.34 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $27.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.58, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.50. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $232.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $207.71. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $165.51 and a twelve month high of $254.89.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a 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, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,704,800. This 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 18,156 shares of company stock valued at $3,738,699 in the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, July 27th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $253.00 price objective for the company. Evercore set a $240.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Barclays set a $190.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, June 12th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $231.88.

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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