Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas Boosts Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 76.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 49,659 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,440 shares during the quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas’ holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $8,869,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,139,477 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,199,961,000 after purchasing an additional 147,780 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 7.5% in the 4th quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,440,452 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $435,840,000 after purchasing an additional 170,991 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 7.3% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,919,466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $342,797,000 after purchasing an additional 130,940 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth about $316,920,000. Finally, Boston Partners purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter worth about $254,778,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE WSM opened at $222.85 on Tuesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $154.11 and a 52 week high of $230.50. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.96, a PEG ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $192.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $194.15.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.37 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.56%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WSM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Argus set a $230.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $185.00 to $218.00 in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, UBS Group boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $211.47.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $184,704,800. This represents a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $203.07, for a total transaction of $106,002.54. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 22,829 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,635,885.03. This trade represents a 2.24% 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 sold 86,892 shares of company stock valued at $16,166,026 in the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.