48,358 Shares in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Purchased by Nykredit A S

Nykredit A S purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 48,358 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $11,272,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. IMG Wealth Management Inc. bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp grew its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the fourth 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. Meeder Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at $35,000. Finally, Ballast Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth $30,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 2.0%

Shares of WSM opened at $227.12 on Friday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $232.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $208.85. The stock has a market cap of $26.75 billion, a PE ratio of 23.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.47. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $165.51 and a 52-week high of $254.89.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.02. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.73% and a return on equity of 53.48%. The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.93 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.00 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.48 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th were given a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 31.12%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have commented on WSM shares. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $247.00 price objective (up from $190.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Barclays set a $190.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $248.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, Bank of America restated a “buy” rating and issued a $261.00 target price (up from $250.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Williams-Sonoma has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $245.56.

Insider Activity at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 3,156 shares of company stock worth $738,699. 1.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Williams-Sonoma 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.