Wellington Management Group LLP Purchases 37,764 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Wellington Management increased its Williams-Sonoma position by 313.2% in the second quarter, purchasing 37,764 additional shares for a total holding of 49,821 shares valued at $11.6 million. Institutional investors now own 99.29% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with 10 Buy ratings and eight Holds producing a “Moderate Buy” consensus and an average price target of $245.56; several firms recently raised their targets.
• Williams-Sonoma exceeded quarterly expectations with adjusted earnings of $2.10 per share and revenue of $1.96 billion, up 6.7% year over year. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, yielding approximately 1.3% annually.

Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 313.2% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 49,821 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after purchasing an additional 37,764 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $11,613,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Archer Investment Corp bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth about $47,000. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $321,000. Livforsakringsbolaget Skandia Omsesidigt bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $233,000. Rakuten Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $4,643,000. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $8,487,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have issued reports on WSM shares. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $248.00 to $252.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Monday, August 31st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Guggenheim restated a "neutral" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Argus raised their target price 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 equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $245.56.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the firm'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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,195 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,975,846.05. This trade represents a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,634 shares of company stock worth $632,696. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.1%

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

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.73% and a return on equity of 53.48%. The business had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.00 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

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

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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