Danske Bank A S Takes $10.72 Million Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Danske Bank A S bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 46,002 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $10,723,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. IMG Wealth Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter valued at $31,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its position in shares of 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 during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Ballast Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total transaction of $128,615.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,975,846.05. This represents a 2.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was 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. The trade was a 1.60% 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. In the last three months, insiders have sold 18,156 shares of company stock valued at $3,738,699. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of WSM opened at $237.34 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $165.51 and a 12-month high of $254.89. The firm has a market capitalization of $27.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.50. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $232.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $207.75.

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

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the company. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, August 10th. Evercore set a $240.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $261.00 price objective (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $231.88.

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.