2,785 Shares in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Acquired by Focused Alpha LLC

Focused Alpha LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 2,785 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $649,000.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its position 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 worth $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Ballast Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth $30,000. MidFirst Bank bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% during the first quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 117 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Piper Sandler started coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, July 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price target for the company. KeyCorp lifted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $230.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 7th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, August 10th. Finally, Barclays set a $190.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One 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 company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $231.88.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,962,117.33. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 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 worth $3,738,699 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $240.38 on Tuesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $165.51 and a 52-week high of $254.89. The company has a fifty day moving average of $230.47 and a 200-day moving average of $206.82. The company has a market capitalization of $28.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.50.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio 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.