Nykredit A S Invests $10.72 Million in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Nykredit A/S bought a new $10.72 million stake in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter, acquiring 45,983 shares. Institutional investors collectively own 99.29% of the specialty retailer.
• Analysts maintain a generally positive outlook, with a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating and an average price target of $245.56. Williams-Sonoma recently exceeded quarterly earnings and revenue expectations, with revenue rising 6.7% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, equivalent to a 1.4% yield, while CEO Laura Alber and CFO Jeffrey Howie sold shares under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plans.

Nykredit A S bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 45,983 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $10,719,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of WSM. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth $2,656,062,000. Aristotle Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% during the first quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,031,242,000 after purchasing an additional 2,009,032 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,664,580 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $485,833,000 after buying an additional 224,128 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth $316,920,000. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,479,064 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $269,640,000 after buying an additional 20,886 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WSM has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Evercore set a $245.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Argus upped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. KeyCorp reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $270.00 price objective (up from $250.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Telsey Advisory Group set a $260.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Guggenheim reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $245.56.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,045 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $220.61, for a total value of $671,757.45. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,531,184.18. This represents a 8.19% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $221.20, for a total value of $7,742,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 853,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $188,799,508.80. The trade was a 3.94% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders sold 39,567 shares of company stock valued at $8,792,373. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

More Williams-Sonoma News

Here are the key news stories impacting Williams-Sonoma this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Rejuvenation, Williams-Sonoma’s lighting and home-furnishings brand, opened a new store in Dallas—its second Texas location. The expansion increases the brand’s physical retail presence and could support longer-term sales and customer awareness. Rejuvenation Opens New Store in Dallas
• Positive Sentiment: Williams-Sonoma declared a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, payable November 20 to shareholders of record October 16. The unchanged payout equates to $3.04 annually and a yield of roughly 1.4%, reinforcing shareholder returns and signaling continued cash-flow confidence. Williams-Sonoma Quarterly Dividend
• Neutral Sentiment: A recent investor-focused article has put the Williams-Sonoma story on the radar, potentially increasing attention around the stock. However, the headline alone does not identify a new earnings, guidance, or strategic catalyst. What Put the Williams-Sonoma Story on the Radar?
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares worth approximately $7.74 million, while CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,045 shares worth about $672,000. The sales reduce their individual holdings and can pressure sentiment, although both transactions were made under pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 plans and do not necessarily indicate deteriorating operating expectations. CEO Insider Sale Filing

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 0.1%

WSM stock opened at $224.08 on Monday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $165.51 and a 12 month high of $254.89. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $232.18 and a 200 day moving average price of $209.89. The stock has a market cap of $26.39 billion, a PE ratio of 22.94, a P/E/G ratio of 2.43 and a beta of 1.47.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.02. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.73% and a return on equity of 53.48%. The company had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.00 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.51 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 16th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is presently 31.12%.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

Williams-Sonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on high-quality home furnishings, housewares and lifestyle products. The company sells furniture, bedding, bath goods, lighting, rugs, window treatments, home décor, kitchen equipment, cookware, tabletop products, outdoor furnishings and related accessories through e-commerce platforms, catalogs and retail stores.

The company operates a portfolio of brands that includes Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids, Pottery Barn Teen, West Elm, Mark & Graham and Rejuvenation.

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