Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Purchased by Voya Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• Voya Investment Management LLC increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 11.4%, now owning 282,788 shares worth approximately $44.7 million.
• Multiple institutional investors, including Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC and Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd., have also raised their stakes in the company during the first quarter.
• Williams-Sonoma announced a quarterly dividend of $0.66 per share, with a dividend yield of 1.3% and a payout ratio of 29.04%.

Voya Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM - Free Report) by 11.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 282,788 shares of the specialty retailer's stock after buying an additional 28,964 shares during the quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC owned 0.23% of Williams-Sonoma worth $44,709,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Redwood Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth $1,424,000. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter worth $895,000. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 26.4% in the 1st quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 44,398 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $7,019,000 after buying an additional 9,266 shares in the last quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 10.6% in the 1st quarter. Cambridge Investment Research Advisors Inc. now owns 17,402 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,751,000 after buying an additional 1,673 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 128.0% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 217,644 shares of the specialty retailer's stock valued at $34,410,000 after purchasing an additional 122,180 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP David Randolph King sold 17,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.60, for a total value of $3,563,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 98,560 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,066,816. This represents a 15.08% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 966,927 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $162,617,782.86. This trade represents a 3.01% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 51,500 shares of company stock worth $9,284,240. Insiders own 1.10% of the company's stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 3.1%

WSM opened at $197.30 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $24.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.28 and a beta of 1.52. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $125.33 and a fifty-two week high of $219.98. The company's 50-day moving average price is $190.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $171.64.

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

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 18th were given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 18th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma's dividend payout ratio is 29.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $179.00 to $203.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, August 25th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $162.00 to $202.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, UBS Group set a $200.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $199.11.

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.

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 and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.