Handelsbanken Fonder AB Purchases 73,100 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 238.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 103,820 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 73,100 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB owned approximately 0.09% of Williams-Sonoma worth $20,292,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in WSM. DNB Asset Management AS grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 9.3% during the third quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 22,763 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $4,449,000 after purchasing an additional 1,940 shares during the period. Choreo LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 16.0% during the 3rd quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 4,230 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $827,000 after buying an additional 583 shares in the last quarter. Advisor OS LLC grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter. Advisor OS LLC now owns 2,664 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $521,000 after buying an additional 180 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 4.9% in the 3rd quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 244,042 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $47,698,000 after acquiring an additional 11,487 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 52.3% in the 3rd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 9,635 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,883,000 after acquiring an additional 3,308 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reduced their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Citigroup decreased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Zelman & Associates upgraded Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price target on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and ten have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $202.11.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 2.9%

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $205.29 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $204.17 and its 200 day moving average is $196.00. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $130.07 and a 12-month high of $222.00. The stock has a market cap of $24.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.58, a PEG ratio of 3.08 and a beta of 1.64.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 16th were paid a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.04%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,715,497.76. The trade was a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total transaction of $7,258,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 806,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. This trade represents a 4.16% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate 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.