Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Purchased by OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp

OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 15.8% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 18,658 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 2,551 shares during the period. OMERS ADMINISTRATION Corp’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $3,402,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during 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 in the last quarter. MidFirst Bank purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% in the 1st quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 117 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,962,117.33. This represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available 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 value of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at $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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 36,634 shares of company stock worth $6,812,283. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSM has been the topic of several analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. The Goldman Sachs Group upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $185.00 to $218.00 in a research report on Monday, April 13th. KeyCorp raised their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $225.00 price target (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Argus set a $230.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $215.47.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $234.45 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $217.09 and a 200 day moving average of $202.97. The firm has a market cap of $27.61 billion, a PE ratio of 26.25, a PEG ratio of 2.48 and a beta of 1.49. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $165.51 and a one year high of $244.65.

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

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be given 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 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.