Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI Takes $1.03 Million Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 4,410 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,028,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the fourth 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 during the period. MidFirst Bank bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Ballast Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% during the first quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on WSM shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Barclays set a $190.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, August 10th. KeyCorp boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Evercore set a $240.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $231.88.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $241.03 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $231.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $207.07. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $165.51 and a 52-week high of $254.89. The company has a market cap of $28.38 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.99, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.50.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.85 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the firm’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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 923,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $184,704,800. This trade represents a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through 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 business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at $4,962,117.33. This trade represents 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 18,156 shares of company stock valued at $3,738,699 over the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Williams-Sonoma

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.