Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Bought by Edgestream Partners L.P.

Edgestream Partners L.P. grew its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 48.9% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,951 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 5,570 shares during the quarter. Edgestream Partners L.P.'s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $3,091,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,878 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $514,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $247,000 after acquiring an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Arjuna Capital raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 3,564 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $636,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Florida Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,534 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $453,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total transaction of $3,452,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 938,524 shares in the company, valued at $161,998,627.64. This trade represents a 2.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. This represents a 4.87% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last three months, insiders have sold 36,634 shares of company stock worth $6,812,283. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $228.89 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $26.95 billion, a PE ratio of 25.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 1.49. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $165.51 and a 12 month high of $244.65. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $221.01 and a 200-day simple moving average of $203.96.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on WSM. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $225.00 price target (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Bank of America initiated coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, June 12th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $250.00 target price on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $215.47.

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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