Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Has $46.86 Million Stock Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 249,429 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 5,387 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. owned 0.21% of Williams-Sonoma worth $46,855,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 220 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% during the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth about $48,000. Finally, Zions Bancorporation National Association UT lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 760.0% during the 3rd quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 258 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have issued reports on WSM shares. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 20th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $185.00 to $218.00 in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $209.56.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 0.9%

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $181.84 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $147.39 and a 1 year high of $222.00. The company has a market cap of $21.41 billion, a PE ratio of 20.55, a PEG ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 1.49. The company’s 50-day moving average is $188.33 and its two-hundred day moving average is $192.85.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.14. The business had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 51.45%. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue for the quarter was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $3.28 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.24 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th will be given a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 29.83%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total value of $436,374.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 23,351 shares in the company, valued at $4,494,833.99. This trade represents a 8.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total transaction of $267,410.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at $6,433,306.10. This represents a 3.99% 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 71,370 shares of company stock worth $13,268,623 in the last ninety days. Company 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.