Handelsbanken Fonder AB Grows Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 8.1% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 146,185 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 10,965 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $34,076,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Aristotle Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% in the 1st quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,031,242,000 after purchasing an additional 2,009,032 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at about $316,920,000. Boston Partners purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter worth about $254,778,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 102.8% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,108,589 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $202,129,000 after buying an additional 561,977 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 86.0% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,117,119 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $199,506,000 after buying an additional 516,593 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $250.67 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $227.53 and its 200-day moving average price is $205.82. The company has a market cap of $29.52 billion, a PE ratio of 28.07, a PEG ratio of 2.75 and a beta of 1.50. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $165.51 and a 52-week high of $254.89.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. The firm had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 company earned $1.85 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is 34.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total value 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible 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 stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents 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 have sold 38,156 shares of company stock valued at $7,190,899. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $261.00 price objective (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday. Barclays set a $190.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday. Finally, Piper Sandler assumed coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, July 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 target price for the company. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, nine have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $223.29.

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.