Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich Takes $4.61 Million Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 23,561 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $4,605,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WSM. Ameriflex Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1,061.5% during the third quarter. Ameriflex Group Inc. now owns 302 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $59,000 after purchasing an additional 276 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $443,566,000 after buying an additional 532,995 shares during the period. Modern Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 13.9% during the 3rd quarter. Modern Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,310 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,624,000 after buying an additional 1,016 shares during the period. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 24,822 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $4,851,000 after acquiring an additional 356 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cresset Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at $674,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total transaction of $7,258,650.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. The trade was a 4.16% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,715,497.76. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 3.5%

Shares of WSM stock opened at $186.77 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $130.07 and a 12 month high of $222.00. The firm has a market cap of $22.30 billion, a PE ratio of 20.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.64. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $204.80 and a 200-day moving average of $195.68.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th were paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WSM. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and issued a $245.00 target price (up from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Weiss Ratings raised Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Zelman & Associates upgraded Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price target for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $203.22.

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.