Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Purchased by Ethic Inc.

Key Points

• Ethic Inc. increased its Williams-Sonoma stake by 55% in the third quarter, to 21,364 shares valued at about $4.87 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 99.29% of the stock.
• Williams-Sonoma reported quarterly earnings of $2.10 per share, beating estimates of $2.08, while revenue rose 6.7% year over year to $1.96 billion. The company also declared a $0.76 quarterly dividend.
• Analysts have a consensus “Moderate Buy” rating, with an average price target of $249.17; 10 analysts rate the stock Buy and eight rate it Hold.

Ethic Inc. boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 55.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 21,364 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 7,584 shares during the quarter. Ethic Inc.'s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $4,870,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth approximately $2,656,062,000. Aristotle Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% in the first quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $2,031,242,000 after buying an additional 2,009,032 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.9% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,906,785 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $1,376,872,000 after buying an additional 112,683 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 9.2% during the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,664,580 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $485,833,000 after acquiring an additional 224,128 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,479,064 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $269,640,000 after acquiring an additional 20,886 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the subject of several analyst reports. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $286.00 target price (up from $259.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, October 20th. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a "buy" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Credit Suisse Group set a $261.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, August 24th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, October 12th. Finally, Bank of America restated a "buy" rating and set a $261.00 price target (up from $250.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, August 24th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $249.17.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 2.9%

Shares of WSM stock opened at $261.46 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $30.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.76, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 1.49. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $165.51 and a 1-year high of $274.45. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $239.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $216.25.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.48% and a net margin of 14.73%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $2.00 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.50 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 16th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.12%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $221.20, for a total transaction of $7,742,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 853,524 shares in the company, valued at $188,799,508.80. The trade was a 3.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Anne A. Finucane sold 794 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $252.14, for a total transaction of $200,199.16. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 9,404 shares in the company, valued at $2,371,124.56. This trade represents a 7.79% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 39,361 shares of company stock worth $8,738,903. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

About Williams-Sonoma

Williams-Sonoma, Inc is a specialty retailer focused on home furnishings, kitchenware and related products. Its portfolio includes Williams Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Pottery Barn Kids and Teen, West Elm, Rejuvenation, and Mark and Graham, with offerings ranging from cookware and furniture to lighting, textiles, décor and gifts.

Founded in 1956 by Chuck Williams as a cookware shop in Sonoma, California, the company has grown into a multichannel retailer. It sells through its websites and retail stores, serving customers in North America and select international markets.

Laura Alber is the company's chief executive officer.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WSM? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.