Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Holdings Raised by Raiffeisen Bank International AG

Key Points

• Raiffeisen Bank International AG increased its Williams-Sonoma stake by 319.2% in the second quarter, bringing its holdings to 6,673 shares valued at approximately $1.6 million. Institutional investors collectively own 99.29% of the company.
• Analysts maintain a favorable outlook, with Williams-Sonoma receiving a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $245.56; several firms recently raised their targets to between $261 and $275.
• Williams-Sonoma exceeded quarterly expectations with $2.10 in EPS and $1.96 billion in revenue, up 6.7% year over year. The company also pays a quarterly dividend of $0.76, equivalent to a 1.3% annual yield.

Raiffeisen Bank International AG grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 319.2% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,673 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 5,081 shares during the period. Raiffeisen Bank International AG's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $1,603,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,248,000 after acquiring an additional 1,236 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $227,000. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter worth $1,644,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 9.0% during the second quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 4,153 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $678,000 after buying an additional 342 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 5.9% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,631 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $757,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $261.00 target price (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. KeyCorp restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $270.00 price objective (up from $250.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Weiss Ratings raised Williams-Sonoma from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a research note on Monday, August 31st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $275.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. 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, Williams-Sonoma currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $245.56.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $227.12 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $26.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.25, a PEG 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's 50 day moving average price is $232.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $208.85.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.93 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.00 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.48 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th were paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date 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 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 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 3,156 shares of company stock worth $738,699. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

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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