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 the company in its most recent 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.

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on WSM shares. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. 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 note on Tuesday, December 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group cut their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $220.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, UBS Group set a $175.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, November 20th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $200.76.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 806,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. This represents a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total value of $157,357.72. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,715,497.76. This represents a 5.48% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 65,767 shares of company stock worth $12,802,440. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 2.6%

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $204.50 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $130.07 and a 12-month high of $219.98. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $189.33 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $191.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.41 billion, a PE ratio of 22.50, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 return on equity of 53.10% and a net margin of 14.30%.The firm had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.86 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.96 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be issued a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) 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.