19,035 Shares in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Acquired by Evolve Private Wealth LLC

Evolve Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor purchased 19,035 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $3,400,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,139,477 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,199,961,000 after buying an additional 147,780 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 7.5% during the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,440,452 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $435,840,000 after buying an additional 170,991 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 7.3% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,919,466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $342,797,000 after buying an additional 130,940 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth approximately $316,920,000. Finally, Boston Partners acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter worth approximately $254,778,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $221.55 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $194.36 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $194.76. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $154.11 and a fifty-two week high of $234.42. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.51.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on WSM shares. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Argus set a $230.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 29th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 price target (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. One research 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $211.47.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total value of $267,410.55. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at $6,433,306.10. This represents a 3.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were 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 owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 88,004 shares of company stock worth $16,420,107 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.