NEOS Investment Management LLC Grows Stock Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

NEOS Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 39.5% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 13,398 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 3,793 shares during the period. NEOS Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $2,619,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. GSA Capital Partners LLP boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 83.5% during the 3rd quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 5,686 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,111,000 after acquiring an additional 2,588 shares in the last quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 760.0% during the 3rd quarter. Zions Bancorporation National Association UT now owns 258 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 209.1% during the third quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 9,194 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,797,000 after purchasing an additional 6,220 shares during the last quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 2.0% in the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 42,503 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $8,307,000 after purchasing an additional 823 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HighTower Advisors LLC increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 1.7% in the third quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 88,331 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $17,264,000 after purchasing an additional 1,467 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at $2,715,497.76. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total value of $7,258,650.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. This represents a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 65,767 shares of company stock valued at $12,802,440 over the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 29th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price objective (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, UBS Group set a $175.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $202.11.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $210.85 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $25.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.20, a PEG ratio of 3.20 and a beta of 1.64. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $130.07 and a 1 year high of $221.81. The company’s fifty day moving average is $201.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $195.75.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.86 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.96 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.04%.

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.