Schroder Investment Management Group Buys 7,346 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Schroder Investment Management Group grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 2.8% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 270,053 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 7,346 shares during the quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group owned about 0.22% of Williams-Sonoma worth $52,782,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WSM. State Street Corp lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 2.2% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,991,697 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $978,864,000 after purchasing an additional 127,597 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $443,566,000 after purchasing an additional 532,995 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 30.6% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,741,639 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $284,532,000 after purchasing an additional 407,929 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter valued at $212,107,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 44.9% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,256,734 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $205,317,000 after buying an additional 389,548 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price objective (up from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $203.22.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $188.76 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $204.97 and a 200 day moving average of $195.50. The company has a market cap of $22.53 billion, a PE ratio of 20.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.64. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $130.07 and a 12-month high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 16th were paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 29.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total value of $7,258,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 806,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. This represents a 4.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total value of $157,357.72. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,715,497.76. The trade was a 5.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Company 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.