41,393 Shares in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Acquired by SFE Investment Counsel

SFE Investment Counsel bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 41,393 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $9,649,000. Williams-Sonoma comprises approximately 1.3% of SFE Investment Counsel’s holdings, making the stock its 28th biggest holding.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. MidFirst Bank purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Ballast Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth $30,000. Finally, DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $3,000,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,704,800. The trade was a 1.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 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 dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last quarter, insiders sold 18,156 shares of company stock valued at $3,738,699. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

WSM stock opened at $241.33 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $165.51 and a fifty-two week high of $254.89. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $229.71 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $206.58. The company has a market capitalization of $28.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.50.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The business’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.85 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.04%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have issued reports on WSM. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $192.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Barclays set a $190.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Bank of America began coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, June 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $231.88.

Williams-Sonoma Company 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.