California State Teachers Retirement System Has $8.60 Billion Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

California State Teachers Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 21,796.7% in the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 36,913,716 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 36,745,135 shares during the period. California State Teachers Retirement System owned 0.31% of Williams-Sonoma worth $8,604,587,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd lifted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 1,844.3% during the 1st quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 47,733 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $8,703,000 after purchasing an additional 45,278 shares during the last quarter. Little House Capital LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the first quarter worth about $801,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 5,019.6% during the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 89,388 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $15,964,000 after buying an additional 87,642 shares during the last quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,173,000. Finally, Pacific Heights Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 15.4% during the fourth quarter. Pacific Heights Asset Management LLC now owns 150,000 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,788,000 after buying an additional 20,000 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 0.2%

WSM opened at $227.90 on Wednesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $165.51 and a 1-year high of $254.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.84 billion, a PE ratio of 23.33, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.47. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $232.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $209.02.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 earnings per share (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 company had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.00 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.48 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th were issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.12%.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 2,634 shares of company stock worth $632,696. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently commented on the company. Evercore set a $245.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Argus raised their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 2nd. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Piper Sandler initiated coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, July 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price objective on the stock. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $245.56.

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.