Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Stock Position Raised by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP increased its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 9.2% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,664,580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 224,128 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned about 2.26% of Williams-Sonoma worth $485,833,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its position in Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the fourth quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. MidFirst Bank acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% in the 1st quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DV Equities LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth about $31,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,962,117.33. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at 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 stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,704,800. This 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 36,634 shares of company stock valued at $6,812,283 in the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have weighed in on WSM. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Evercore set a $200.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 price target (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 22nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $212.65.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $221.15 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $26.04 billion, a PE ratio of 24.76, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.49. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $212.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $201.94. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $165.51 and a twelve month high of $244.65.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. Williams-Sonoma’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. 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.