Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas Increases Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 76.0% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 49,659 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 21,440 shares during the quarter. Oddo BHF Asset Management Sas’ holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $8,869,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Norges Bank bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $316,920,000. Boston Partners bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $254,778,000. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $443,566,000 after purchasing an additional 532,995 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 86.0% in the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,117,119 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $199,506,000 after purchasing an additional 516,593 shares during the period. Finally, Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 4,142.7% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 478,072 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $93,439,000 after purchasing an additional 466,804 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total transaction of $267,410.55. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,433,306.10. This represents a 3.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.07, for a total value of $106,002.54. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 22,829 shares in the company, valued at $4,635,885.03. The trade was a 2.24% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 86,892 shares of company stock worth $16,166,026. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Barclays set a $190.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $185.00 to $218.00 in a research report on Monday, April 13th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Evercore set a $200.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 target price for the company. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $211.47.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $222.85 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $192.64 and a 200-day moving average price of $194.15. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $154.11 and a one year high of $230.50. The company has a market capitalization of $26.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.96, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 1.51.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.85 EPS. Williams-Sonoma’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.37 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.56%.

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.