Swiss National Bank Sells 19,400 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Swiss National Bank cut its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 5.2% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 354,500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 19,400 shares during the quarter. Swiss National Bank owned about 0.29% of Williams-Sonoma worth $69,287,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. WINTON GROUP Ltd acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at $561,000. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 198,625 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $38,793,000 after purchasing an additional 1,031 shares during the period. Schroder Investment Management Group raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.8% during the third quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group now owns 270,053 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $52,782,000 after buying an additional 7,346 shares during the last quarter. Fort Sheridan Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter valued at about $235,000. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 6.2% in the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 8,311 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,624,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $185.70 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $22.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.82 and a beta of 1.64. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $205.11 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $195.43. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $130.07 and a 1-year high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 16th were given a $0.66 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 29.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the company. Evercore set a $215.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $188.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 21st. Telsey Advisory Group lowered their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $203.78.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total transaction of $7,258,650.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $167,267,708.43. This represents a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total value of $157,357.72. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,715,497.76. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.