Stance Capital LLC Acquires New Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Stance Capital acquired a new position in Williams‑Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) in Q3, buying 6,823 shares valued at approximately $1.33 million.
• Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company, with large moves including State Street increasing to 6,139,477 shares (~$1.20B) and sizeable additions or new positions from First Trust, Invesco, Boston Partners and Norges Bank.
• Analysts show a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" with a consensus price target of $203.78, alongside several recent price-target increases (e.g., TD Cowen to $245, Citigroup to $208).

Stance Capital LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 6,823 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $1,334,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,139,477 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $1,199,961,000 after purchasing an additional 147,780 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $443,566,000 after buying an additional 532,995 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.6% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,741,639 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $284,532,000 after buying an additional 407,929 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter valued at approximately $254,778,000. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter valued at approximately $212,107,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the stock. 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. UBS Group increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 11th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $188.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $245.00 target price (up from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $203.78.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $182.29 on Wednesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $130.07 and a 1 year high of $222.00. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $204.50 and a 200 day moving average price of $195.11. The company has a market cap of $21.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.05, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.64.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total transaction of $7,258,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares of the company's stock, valued at $167,267,708.43. The trade was a 4.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total value of $157,357.72. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,236 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,715,497.76. The trade was a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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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