Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Increases Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Pictet Asset Management raised its stake in Williams‑Sonoma by 20%, owning 125,941 shares (about 0.11% of the company) worth roughly $22.5 million at quarter end.
• Williams‑Sonoma beat quarterly EPS estimates ($3.04 vs. $2.90) despite a 4.3% revenue decline year‑over‑year, and boosted its quarterly dividend to $0.76 (annualized $3.04, ~1.7% yield).
• Analysts’ consensus is a Moderate Buy with an average target of $209.56, institutional ownership is very high, and insiders have sold about $13.3 million of stock in the past 90 days.

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA raised its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 20.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 125,941 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 21,005 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA owned approximately 0.11% of Williams-Sonoma worth $22,496,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WSM. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 76 shares in the last quarter. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% in the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 220 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% during the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter valued at about $48,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently commented on WSM. Evercore set a $200.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. Robert W. Baird cut their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b-)" rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, March 20th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $209.56.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $181.40 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $21.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.58. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $147.39 and a 1-year high of $222.00. The company's 50-day moving average is $189.85 and its 200 day moving average is $192.91.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $2.41 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.45% and a net margin of 13.94%.Williams-Sonoma's revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.28 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.19 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma's previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.83%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total value of $436,374.83. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 23,351 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,494,833.99. This trade represents a 8.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total value of $267,410.55. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,433,306.10. This trade represents a 3.99% 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. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 71,370 shares of company stock worth $13,268,623. 1.10% of the stock is 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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