OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp Acquires 2,551 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 15.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,658 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,551 shares during the period. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $3,402,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WSM. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its position 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 buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. MidFirst Bank purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% in the first quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WSM shares. Citigroup dropped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Barclays set a $190.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Piper Sandler initiated coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 target price on the stock. Bank of America initiated coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, June 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.47.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 3.4%

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $234.45 on Tuesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $165.51 and a 52-week high of $244.65. The stock has a market cap of $27.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.25, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.49. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $217.09 and a 200-day moving average price of $202.97.

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

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $184,704,800. This represents a 1.60% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at $4,962,117.33. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their position. 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 sold a total of 36,634 shares of company stock worth $6,812,283 over the last ninety days. 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.