United Capital Financial Advisors LLC Invests $879,000 in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 3,769 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $879,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth $2,656,062,000. Aristotle Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% in the first quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,031,242,000 after acquiring an additional 2,009,032 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter valued at about $316,920,000. Boston Partners bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter worth about $254,778,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth about $264,441,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold 3,156 shares of company stock valued at $738,699 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Williams-Sonoma

Here are the key news stories impacting Williams-Sonoma this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Williams-Sonoma exceeded expectations with adjusted earnings of $2.10 per share versus the $2.08 consensus and revenue of $1.96 billion versus estimates of $1.93 billion. Comparable sales increased 6.2%, reflecting broad-based growth across its brands, including Pottery Barn and West Elm. Williams-Sonoma Fiscal Q2 Earnings Snapshot
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its full-year revenue and earnings outlook, signaling confidence that market-share gains and improving comparable-sales trends can continue in the second half. Analysts highlighted that the company has moved beyond its most difficult year-over-year margin comparison, while comps are accelerating. Williams-Sonoma’s Most Difficult Margin Comparison Is Behind It
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised their price targets following the results. KeyBanc increased its target to $270, RBC reaffirmed an Outperform rating with a $260 target, and Morgan Stanley lifted its target to $240 while maintaining an Equal Weight rating. Jim Cramer also argued that the post-earnings selloff did not reflect the strength of the report. Analysts Increase Forecasts on Williams-Sonoma
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target from $248 to $252 but retained a Neutral rating, while Guggenheim also maintained Neutral. This reflects continued confidence in the business but limited conviction that the current valuation offers substantial upside. Analyst Insights on Williams-Sonoma
• Negative Sentiment: Gross margin declined because of tariffs, creating a key risk to earnings if higher costs cannot be offset through pricing, sourcing, or operating efficiencies. The company also remains exposed to a weak housing market and cautious discretionary spending. Williams-Sonoma Grew Comps 6.2% and Raised Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: The muted market reaction suggests investors may have been positioned for an even stronger report, or may be taking profits after a substantial rally. At roughly 24 times earnings and near its 52-week high, WSM’s valuation leaves less room for execution disappointments.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.0%

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $235.07 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $27.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.06, a PEG ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.50. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $165.51 and a 12-month high of $254.89. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $233.48 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $208.42.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.93 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.73% and a return on equity of 53.48%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.00 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSM has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Credit Suisse Group set a $261.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Evercore set a $245.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $270.00 price target (up from $250.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $261.00 price target (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Finally, TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, August 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $244.44.

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.