Rhumbline Advisers Purchases 2,585 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 1.1% in the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 243,832 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,585 shares during the quarter. Rhumbline Advisers’ holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $47,657,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. State Street Corp boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.2% during the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,991,697 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $978,864,000 after purchasing an additional 127,597 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.6% during 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 in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP grew its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.0% in the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,736,466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $283,686,000 after buying an additional 401,138 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter worth about $212,107,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 44.9% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,256,734 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $205,317,000 after acquiring an additional 389,548 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $214.29 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $199.30 and its 200 day moving average is $195.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $25.58 billion, a PE ratio of 23.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.10 and a beta of 1.64. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $130.07 and a one year high of $221.81.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.87 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.86 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.96 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on WSM shares. UBS Group set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Evercore raised their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $200.00 to $210.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 3rd. Citigroup dropped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and eleven have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $202.53.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total value of $7,258,650.00. Following the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,715,497.76. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 65,767 shares of company stock worth $12,802,440 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.