JLB & Associates Inc. Invests $5.91 Million in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

JLB & Associates Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 25,360 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $5,911,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth about $383,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. Tiemann Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at about $338,000. Citizens Financial Group Inc. RI bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at about $517,000. Finally, Texas Capital Bank Wealth Management Services Inc acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth about $265,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. This represents a 4.87% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 firm's stock in a transaction on 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 $184,704,800. This represents a 1.60% 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 have sold a total of 18,156 shares of company stock worth $3,738,699 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Weiss Ratings downgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a report on Friday. Barclays set a $190.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $192.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. KeyCorp upped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. One equities 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's stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $231.88.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $241.03 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.99, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.50. The business has a 50-day moving average of $231.02 and a 200-day moving average of $207.07. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $165.51 and a fifty-two week high of $254.89.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.85 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma's quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is 34.04%.

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.

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