Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA Invests $1.18 Million in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Lombard Odier Asset Management Switzerland SA acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the first quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm acquired 6,442 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,175,000.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. MidFirst Bank bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% in the first quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DV Equities LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 3.4%

WSM opened at $234.45 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $27.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.25, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.49. The company’s 50 day moving average is $217.09 and its 200-day moving average is $202.97. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $165.51 and a 1-year high of $244.65.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.85 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WSM. KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Piper Sandler started coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday. They set an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 target price for the company. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 target price (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Evercore set a $200.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, April 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $215.47.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at $184,704,800. This represents a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing 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 1,112 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,962,117.33. This represents a 4.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 36,634 shares of company stock worth $6,812,283 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.