Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Purchased by JGP Wealth Management LLC

Key Points

• JGP Wealth Management increased its Williams-Sonoma stake by 30% in the second quarter, acquiring 13,578 additional shares for a total holding of 58,844 shares worth approximately $13.7 million. Institutional investors collectively own 99.29% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment is broadly positive, with Williams-Sonoma carrying a “Moderate Buy” consensus rating and an average price target of $217.82. Goldman Sachs upgraded the stock to “buy,” while Telsey raised its target to $225.
• Williams-Sonoma exceeded quarterly expectations, reporting $1.93 in EPS and $1.81 billion in revenue, up 4.4% year over year. The company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.76 per share, equivalent to a 1.2% annual yield.

JGP Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 30.0% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 58,844 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 13,578 shares during the quarter. Williams-Sonoma makes up 1.2% of JGP Wealth Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest position. JGP Wealth Management LLC's holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $13,717,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on WSM shares. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Argus set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 29th. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group restated 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. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $185.00 to $218.00 in a report on Monday, April 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have assigned a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $217.82.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $248.60 on Thursday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $223.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $204.73. The company has a market cap of $29.27 billion, a PE ratio of 27.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.50. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $165.51 and a 12-month high of $252.99.

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

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.04%.

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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