Tredje AP fonden Acquires 2,962 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Tredje AP fonden boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 28.1% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,494 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,962 shares during the quarter. Tredje AP fonden’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $2,637,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WSM. Brighton Jones LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,248,000 after buying an additional 1,236 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at $227,000. Woodline Partners LP acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth about $1,644,000. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $201,000. Finally, Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 10.6% in the second quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 1,643 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $268,000 after purchasing an additional 157 shares in the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $245.00 target price (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Zelman & Associates raised Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price target for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Evercore set a $215.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $202.11.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 2.1%

Shares of WSM stock opened at $215.24 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $130.07 and a 12-month high of $222.00. The company has a market capitalization of $25.70 billion, a PE ratio of 23.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 1.64. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $202.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $195.79.

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

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 16th were paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.04%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total value of $7,258,650.00. Following the sale, 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 65,767 shares of company stock worth $12,802,440 in the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.