79,613 Shares in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Bought by SEB Asset Management AB

SEB Asset Management AB acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 79,613 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $14,516,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WSM. 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 lifted its holdings 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 buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. MidFirst Bank bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% in the 1st quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth approximately $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 1.9%

WSM opened at $223.96 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.49. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $211.81 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $201.64. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $165.51 and a 12-month high of $244.65.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 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 company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 34.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total transaction of $3,452,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 938,524 shares in the company, valued at $161,998,627.64. This represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 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 shares were 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 directly owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% 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. Insiders have sold 36,634 shares of company stock worth $6,812,283 in the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on WSM shares. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, June 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Barclays set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note 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 assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $212.65.

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.