Jupiter Topco LLC Takes $3.52 Million Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm bought 15,088 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $3,516,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,656,062,000. Aristotle Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% in the first quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,031,242,000 after acquiring an additional 2,009,032 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at $316,920,000. Boston Partners bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at $254,778,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth $188,603,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total value of $128,615.58. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,975,846.05. The trade was a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 3,156 shares of company stock valued at $738,699 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on WSM. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $270.00 price target (up from $250.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Argus set a $230.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Telsey Advisory Group set a $260.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $260.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have issued 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 $244.44.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $221.86 on Wednesday. The company has a 50-day moving average of $233.44 and a two-hundred day moving average of $208.56. The stock has a market cap of $26.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.71, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.47. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $165.51 and a one year high of $254.89.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.93 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.48% and a net margin of 14.73%.Williams-Sonoma’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $2.00 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th were paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 31.12%.

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.