Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Raises Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Generali Asset Management SPA SGR increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. by 28.3%, owning a total of 12,978 shares valued at approximately $2.12 million.
• Insider transactions revealed significant stock sales, including CFO Jeffrey Howie selling 3,153 shares and CEO Laura Alber selling 90,000 shares, indicating a decrease in their positions.
• Williams-Sonoma declared a quarterly dividend of $0.66, with an annualized yield of 1.4%, reflecting a healthy dividend payout ratio of 29.04%.

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 28.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,978 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 2,861 shares during the quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $2,120,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WSM. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% during the fourth 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 purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth approximately $227,000. Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 9.8% during the first quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 1,727 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $273,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 14.5% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 62,690 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $9,911,000 after purchasing an additional 7,945 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 733.1% during the first quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 1,333 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $211,000 after purchasing an additional 1,173 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,153 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.84, for a total transaction of $626,942.52. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,787,999.92. This represents a 8.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 90,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.17, for a total value of $18,015,300.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 876,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $175,534,477.59. The trade was a 9.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 114,153 shares of company stock worth $22,901,008. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 1.3%

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $187.51 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $125.33 and a 52 week high of $219.98. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $197.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $175.04. The firm has a market cap of $22.84 billion, a PE ratio of 20.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.07 and a beta of 1.55.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 27th. The specialty retailer reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.79 by $0.21. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 14.54%.The business had revenue of $1.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.74 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Williams-Sonoma has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, equities analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 17th will be paid a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 17th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is 29.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have issued reports on WSM shares. KeyCorp upped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $181.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, August 25th. UBS Group set a $200.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, August 28th. Gordon Haskett upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $205.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a "buy (b-)" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $198.56.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.

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