6,621 Shares in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Bought by Vise Technologies Inc.

Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 6,621 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $1,543,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% during the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 4.2% in the fourth quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $247,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. Arjuna Capital grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. Arjuna Capital now owns 3,564 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $636,000 after purchasing an additional 57 shares during the period. Florida Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Florida Financial Advisors LLC now owns 2,534 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $453,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,357 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $242,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of NYSE:WSM opened at $237.34 on Friday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $232.33 and a 200 day moving average of $207.75. The stock has a market cap of $27.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 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.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.80 by $0.13. The business 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%. The business’s revenue for the quarter 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. On average, equities analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders 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 was Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the topic of several research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and issued a $261.00 target price (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $192.00 to $260.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Seaport Research Partners reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, August 14th. Finally, Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, June 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 target price for the company. 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, Williams-Sonoma presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $231.88.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total value of $3,000,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,704,800. This represents a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible 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 firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at $4,962,117.33. This 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 a total of 18,156 shares of company stock worth $3,738,699 over the last 90 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.