M. Kulyk & Associates LLC Acquires Shares of 3,540 Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

M. Kulyk & Associates LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm acquired 3,540 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $825,000.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WSM. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth about $2,656,062,000. Aristotle Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% during the 1st quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,031,242,000 after buying an additional 2,009,032 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,139,477 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,199,961,000 after buying an additional 147,780 shares in the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 9.2% in the 1st quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,664,580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $485,833,000 after acquiring an additional 224,128 shares during the last quarter. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 7.3% in the 4th 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 acquiring an additional 130,940 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on WSM. Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $261.00 target price (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. KeyCorp lifted their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 7th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $231.88.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total transaction of $128,615.58. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,975,846.05. The trade was a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal 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. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $3,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,704,800. This trade represents a 1.60% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 18,156 shares of company stock valued at $3,738,699. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 0.3%

NYSE WSM opened at $241.03 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $231.02 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $207.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.50. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $165.51 and a 12-month high of $254.89.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.04%.

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.