Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Acquired by Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 5,019.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 89,388 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 87,642 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $15,964,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. State Street Corp lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% in 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 purchasing an additional 147,780 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $443,566,000 after purchasing an additional 532,995 shares during the last quarter. Boston Partners acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter valued at $254,778,000. UBS Group AG lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 31.6% in the 3rd quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,094,336 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $213,888,000 after purchasing an additional 263,027 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 1,014,643 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $181,213,000 after purchasing an additional 17,229 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 5.1%

WSM stock opened at $180.52 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $21.25 billion, a PE ratio of 20.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.49. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $147.39 and a 12-month high of $222.00. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $183.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $191.70.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.90 by $0.14. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $2.41 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.45% and a net margin of 13.94%.The company’s quarterly revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $3.28 EPS. Research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.26 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 29.83%.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the business’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 owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,433,306.10. The trade was a 3.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, 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 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total value of $3,452,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 938,524 shares in the company, valued at $161,998,627.64. This represents a 2.09% 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. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 91,370 shares of company stock worth $16,720,823. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on WSM shares. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the company from $185.00 to $218.00 in a research note on Monday, April 13th. Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday. Zelman & Associates raised Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. Finally, Barclays upped their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $180.00 to $186.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $206.38.

About Williams-Sonoma

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.