JLB & Associates Inc. Makes New Investment in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

JLB & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 2,466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $482,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth about $212,107,000. Voya Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 184.3% in the third quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 861,236 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $167,927,000 after purchasing an additional 558,311 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. increased its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 740.4% in the second quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 591,690 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $96,664,000 after purchasing an additional 521,283 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.6% in the second quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,741,639 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $284,532,000 after purchasing an additional 407,929 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.0% during the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 1,736,466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $283,686,000 after purchasing an additional 401,138 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total transaction of $7,258,650.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at $167,267,708.43. This trade represents a 4.16% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at $2,715,497.76. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 65,767 shares of company stock worth $12,802,440. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WSM has been the topic of several research reports. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 target price (up previously from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 23rd. Finally, UBS Group set a $175.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $200.76.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

WSM opened at $204.50 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $189.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $191.20. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $130.07 and a 1 year high of $219.98. The stock has a market cap of $24.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.50, a P/E/G ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.58.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.30% and a return on equity of 53.10%. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.86 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.96 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.04%.

About Williams-Sonoma

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.