Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Purchased by Assetmark Inc.

Assetmark Inc. increased its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 4.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 477,064 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 20,899 shares during the quarter. Assetmark Inc.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $86,983,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WSM. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 2,878 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $514,000 after acquiring an additional 51 shares during the period. Fulton Bank N.A. boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Fulton Bank N.A. now owns 10,438 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,864,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the period. Mutual Advisors LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $247,000 after buying an additional 56 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arjuna Capital grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% during the 4th quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 3,564 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $636,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 2.6%

WSM stock opened at $228.61 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $165.51 and a 1-year high of $244.65. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $209.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $201.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.92 billion, a PE ratio of 25.60, a PEG ratio of 2.44 and a beta of 1.49.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.04%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at $184,704,800. This trade represents a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, 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 company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at $4,962,117.33. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 36,634 shares of company stock valued at $6,812,283 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WSM. Weiss Ratings cut Williams-Sonoma from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 2nd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $225.00 price objective (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Evercore set a $200.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $212.65.

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.