Two Sigma Securities LLC Takes $610,000 Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Two Sigma Securities LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 2,615 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $610,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Brighton Jones LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,248,000 after purchasing an additional 1,236 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at about $227,000. Woodline Partners LP bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter valued at about $1,644,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 9.0% in the second quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 4,153 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $678,000 after purchasing an additional 342 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 5.9% in the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $757,000 after purchasing an additional 260 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group set a $260.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $270.00 price target (up from $250.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $261.00 price target (up from $250.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Credit Suisse Group set a $261.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $244.44.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. This represents a 4.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 3,156 shares of company stock worth $738,699 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

WSM stock opened at $221.86 on Wednesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $165.51 and a 52-week high of $254.89. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $233.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $208.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.47.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.73% and a return on equity of 53.48%. The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.00 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 17th were given 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.