Focused Alpha LLC Makes New Investment in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Focused Alpha LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund bought 2,785 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $649,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WSM. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter worth $2,656,062,000. Aristotle Capital Management LLC grew 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 valued at $2,031,242,000 after purchasing an additional 2,009,032 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at $316,920,000. Boston Partners purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at $254,778,000. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth $188,603,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $240.38 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $28.30 billion, a PE ratio of 26.92, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $230.47 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $206.82. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $165.51 and a twelve month high of $254.89.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly 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. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for 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%. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.85 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSM has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Evercore set a $240.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Barclays set a $190.00 target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Argus set a $230.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Friday, May 29th. Bank of America began coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, June 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $231.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,704,800. The trade was a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed 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 Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 21,717 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold 18,156 shares of company stock valued at $3,738,699 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.