Empirical Asset Management LLC Purchases New Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Empirical Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the second quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,445 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $803,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Catalyst Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter valued at approximately $317,000. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth approximately $2,205,000. Danske Bank A S acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth approximately $10,723,000. Diversify Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth approximately $1,659,000. Finally, Wealthfront Advisers LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth approximately $753,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the company’s 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 owned 923,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $184,704,800. This represents a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total transaction of $128,615.58. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,975,846.05. This trade represents a 2.52% 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 have sold a total of 18,156 shares of company stock valued at $3,738,699 over the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on WSM. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $261.00 target price (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, June 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $192.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Evercore set a $240.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $231.88.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

WSM opened at $241.03 on Wednesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $165.51 and a one year high of $254.89. The stock has a market capitalization of $28.38 billion, a PE ratio of 26.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.50. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $231.02 and its 200 day moving average price is $207.07.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share 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. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.