81,709 Shares in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Acquired by Tocqueville Asset Management L.P.

Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund acquired 81,709 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $19,046,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. MidFirst Bank bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth $30,000. Ballast Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter worth $30,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% during the first quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total transaction of $128,615.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,975,846.05. This represents a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed 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 firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $184,704,800. This trade represents a 1.60% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 18,156 shares of company stock worth $3,738,699 over the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE:WSM opened at $242.34 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $28.54 billion, a PE ratio of 27.14, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.50. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $165.51 and a 52-week high of $254.89. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $231.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $207.33.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for 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%.Williams-Sonoma’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $261.00 target price (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Argus set a $230.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 29th. Evercore set a $240.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $231.88.

Williams-Sonoma Company 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.