VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al Purchases Shares of 104,700 Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Virginia Retirement Systems purchased 104,700 Williams-Sonoma shares worth approximately $24.4 million, acquiring a 0.09% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 99.29% of the company.
• Williams-Sonoma exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $2.10 in earnings per share versus a $2.08 consensus estimate and $1.96 billion in revenue, up 6.7% year over year.
• The company maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.76, or $3.04 annually, yielding about 1.3%. Analysts have a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $245.56.

VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 104,700 shares of the specialty retailer's stock, valued at approximately $24,406,000. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al owned 0.09% of Williams-Sonoma at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. IMG Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Ballast Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $227.12 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $26.75 billion, a PE ratio of 23.25, a P/E/G ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.47. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $232.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $208.92. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $165.51 and a 12-month high of $254.89.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.00 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th were given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma's payout ratio is presently 31.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total transaction of $128,615.58. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,975,846.05. This represents a 2.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last three months, insiders sold 2,634 shares of company stock valued at $632,696. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WSM. Telsey Advisory Group set a $260.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Seaport Research Partners restated a "buy" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, August 14th. Guggenheim reaffirmed a "neutral" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Monday, August 31st. Finally, Argus lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $245.56.

About Williams-Sonoma

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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