Algert Global LLC Has $443,000 Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Key Points

• Algert Global LLC increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. by 141.4% during the first quarter, holding 2,800 shares valued at $443,000.
• The company's CEO, Laura Alber, recently sold 30,000 shares for over $5 million, resulting in a 3.01% decrease in her ownership.
• Williams-Sonoma announced a quarterly dividend of $0.66, representing a 1.3% yield, with a current payout ratio of 29.90%.

Algert Global LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 141.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,800 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 1,640 shares during the quarter. Algert Global LLC's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $443,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Heck Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth about $37,000. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth about $32,000. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth about $33,000. Sentry Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth $35,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently commented on WSM shares. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $212.00 to $213.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $168.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $181.00 to $230.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $198.35.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 4,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $168.96, for a total transaction of $675,840.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,388 shares in the company, valued at $5,810,196.48. This trade represents a 10.42% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, July 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $168.18, for a total transaction of $5,045,400.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 966,927 shares in the company, valued at approximately $162,617,782.86. This represents a 3.01% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 38,000 shares of company stock worth $6,349,680. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock traded down $1.18 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $186.88. 687,505 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,911,475. The stock has a market cap of $22.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.57, a PEG ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.47. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $183.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $172.51. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $125.33 and a 12 month high of $219.98.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 27th. The specialty retailer reported $2.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.79 by $0.21. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.54% and a return on equity of 54.47%. The company had revenue of $1.84 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.82 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.74 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 2.7% on a year-over-year basis. Williams-Sonoma has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, July 18th were given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.90%.

Williams-Sonoma Company Profile

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.