Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Position Increased by Grace & White Inc. NY

Grace & White Inc. NY increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 1.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 55,580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,050 shares during the period. Williams-Sonoma accounts for 1.7% of Grace & White Inc. NY’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position. Grace & White Inc. NY’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $9,080,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WSM. Maseco LLP bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $26,000. Quarry LP raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 99.0% during the 1st quarter. Quarry LP now owns 199 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Costello Asset Management INC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at $32,000. Wayfinding Financial LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 123.6% during the 1st quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 246 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $39,000 after acquiring an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

WSM opened at $181.42 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $125.33 and a one year high of $219.98. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $198.04 and its 200-day moving average is $174.26. The company has a market capitalization of $22.10 billion, a PE ratio of 19.96, a P/E/G ratio of 3.05 and a beta of 1.55.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 27th. The specialty retailer reported $2.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.79 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $1.84 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.82 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 54.47% and a net margin of 14.54%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.74 EPS. Williams-Sonoma has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 21st. Investors of record on Friday, October 17th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 29.04%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on WSM shares. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $215.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $168.00 to $215.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $170.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, August 25th. Argus set a $212.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, September 2nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $185.00 to $200.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $199.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP David Randolph King sold 17,500 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.60, for a total value of $3,563,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 98,560 shares in the company, valued at $20,066,816. The trade was a 15.08% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 3,153 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 18th. The stock was sold at an average price of $198.84, for a total value of $626,942.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at $6,787,999.92. The trade was a 8.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 144,153 shares of company stock valued at $27,946,408. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Profile

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.