Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Acquired by Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd

Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 36.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 68,430 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 18,316 shares during the period. Swiss Life Asset Management Ltd owned about 0.06% of Williams-Sonoma worth $13,375,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,139,477 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,199,961,000 after buying an additional 147,780 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $443,566,000 after buying an additional 532,995 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.6% in the 2nd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,741,639 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $284,532,000 after buying an additional 407,929 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth $254,778,000. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth $212,107,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Williams-Sonoma

Here are the key news stories impacting Williams-Sonoma this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat and upbeat guidance — WSM reported $3.04 GAAP EPS (above estimates) and provided a constructive fiscal‑2026 outlook that reassured investors about margins and comps. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase — The board approved a ~15% quarterly dividend raise to $0.76, signaling confidence in cash flow and returning capital to shareholders. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness from some firms — TD Cowen reiterated/maintained a Buy and several firms (RBC, others) raised targets after the quarter, providing upside case support. Read More. and Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Small analyst target lift but cautious rating — Barclays raised its target to $186 but kept an “equal weight” rating, implying only modest upside from current levels. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and YoY decline — Net sales of $2.36B missed consensus (~$2.41B) and were down year‑over‑year, which tempers enthusiasm despite the EPS beat. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Tariffs and margin pressure remain a risk — Management cited tariffs and cost pressures that compress margins even as the company mitigates much of the impact; this remains a watch‑item for investors. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling — CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares (~$3.66M), a modest reduction in her stake that some investors view as a cautionary signal. Read More.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $178.31 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $130.07 and a 1 year high of $222.00. The stock has a market capitalization of $21.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.72 and a beta of 1.64. The company’s fifty day moving average is $203.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $194.88.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.14. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 51.45%. The business had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $3.28 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. This is a positive change from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.83%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WSM has been the topic of several research reports. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Barclays boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. Weiss Ratings upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $220.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Zelman & Associates raised Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price objective for the company in a report on Thursday, January 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $209.56.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total value of $157,357.72. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,715,497.76. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total value of $3,660,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 786,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $143,967,732.48. This trade represents a 2.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 55,767 shares of company stock valued at $11,076,808 over the last three months. 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.