Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Purchased by Hsbc Holdings PLC

Key Points

• Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its Williams-Sonoma stake by 12.1% in the second quarter, purchasing 32,644 additional shares and bringing its holdings to 302,105 shares valued at approximately $70.5 million.
• Williams-Sonoma reported quarterly EPS of $2.10, beating estimates of $2.08, while revenue rose 6.7% year over year to $1.96 billion. The company also maintains a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, yielding about 1.3%.
• Analyst sentiment remains favorable, with a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $245.56; however, insiders have sold roughly $632,696 in stock over the past 90 days.

Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 12.1% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 302,105 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 32,644 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned 0.26% of Williams-Sonoma worth $70,540,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during 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 period. MidFirst Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Ballast Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% in the 1st quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays set a $190.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $261.00 price objective (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $247.00 target price (up from $190.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $260.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $245.56.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $227.12 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $26.75 billion, a PE ratio of 23.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.47. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $232.29 and its 200-day simple moving average is $208.92. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $165.51 and a 1-year high of $254.89.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.48% and a net margin of 14.73%.The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.00 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.48 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total value of $128,615.58. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,195 shares in the company, valued at $4,975,846.05. This represents a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,634 shares of company stock worth $632,696. 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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