Quantitative Investment Management LLC Purchases Shares of 4,563 Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Quantitative Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 4,563 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,063,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.4% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 6,742 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,248,000 after buying an additional 1,236 shares in the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth $227,000. Woodline Partners LP purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter worth $1,644,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 9.0% during the second quarter. Guggenheim Capital LLC now owns 4,153 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $678,000 after acquiring an additional 342 shares during the period. Finally, Brown Advisory Inc. raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 5.9% during the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 4,631 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $757,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $221.86 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $26.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.47. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $165.51 and a one year high of $254.89. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $233.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $208.56.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.02. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.73% and a return on equity of 53.48%. The company had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.93 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.00 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th were paid a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling 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 shares were sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total value of $128,615.58. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,195 shares in the company, valued at $4,975,846.05. The trade was a 2.52% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 3,156 shares of company stock valued at $738,699. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on WSM shares. Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, July 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price objective for the company. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $260.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Seaport Research Partners restated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, August 27th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $244.44.

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.