HS Management Partners LLC Purchases New Shares in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

HS Management Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 46,353 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $10,805,000. Williams-Sonoma comprises 3.7% of HS Management Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th biggest holding.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WSM. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp lifted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. MidFirst Bank purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Ballast Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC increased its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 117 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, 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 owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, 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 on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,704,800. The trade was a 1.60% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 18,156 shares of company stock worth $3,738,699 in the last ninety days. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WSM shares. Evercore set a $240.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Piper Sandler began coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, July 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 target price on the stock. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, August 10th. KeyCorp raised their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $231.88.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $241.03 on Wednesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $165.51 and a 1 year high of $254.89. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $231.02 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $207.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.38 billion, a PE ratio of 26.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.50.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.85 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

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

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.