Tredje AP fonden Buys 2,962 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Tredje AP fonden grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 28.1% during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 13,494 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,962 shares during the period. Tredje AP fonden’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $2,637,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Groupe la Francaise grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 8.2% during the 2nd quarter. Groupe la Francaise now owns 631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $103,000 after acquiring an additional 48 shares during the last quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 25.1% during the third quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC now owns 274 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $52,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.4% during the third quarter. Elyxium Wealth LLC now owns 16,099 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,146,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Eukles Asset Management increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.5% in the third quarter. Eukles Asset Management now owns 12,575 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,458,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 5.0% in the 3rd quarter. Stratos Wealth Partners LTD. now owns 1,293 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $253,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on WSM shares. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Zelman & Associates upgraded Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 target price on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 29th. 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $202.11.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,715,497.76. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total transaction of $7,258,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 806,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $167,267,708.43. The trade was a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders have sold a total of 65,767 shares of company stock worth $12,802,440 in the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $215.24 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $202.16 and its 200-day moving average is $195.79. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $130.07 and a 1 year high of $222.00. The company has a market capitalization of $25.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.68, a P/E/G ratio of 3.22 and a beta of 1.64.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.86 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.10% and a net margin of 14.30%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $1.96 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Investors of record on Friday, January 16th were given a dividend of $0.66 per share. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 29.04%.

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.