Inceptionr LLC Makes New Investment in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Inceptionr LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 4,133 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $754,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings 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 worth $1,248,000 after buying an additional 1,236 shares during the period. Bison Wealth LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at about $227,000. Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,644,000. Guggenheim Capital LLC raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 9.0% in the 2nd 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% in the 2nd 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 and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $172.61, for a total transaction of $3,452,200.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 938,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $161,998,627.64. This represents a 2.09% decrease in their position. The transaction 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, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 a total of 36,634 shares of company stock valued at $6,812,283 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 3.6%

Shares of WSM opened at $226.41 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12 month low of $165.51 and a 12 month high of $244.65. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $215.79 and its 200-day moving average is $202.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.66 billion, a PE ratio of 25.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.49.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.85 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on WSM. Bank of America started coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, June 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Argus set a $230.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 29th. Barclays set a $190.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Evercore set a $200.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, April 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have given a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $213.12.

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.