Handelsbanken Fonder AB Has $21.31 Million Stock Holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Handelsbanken Fonder AB lifted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 14.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 119,320 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 15,500 shares during the period. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $21,309,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of WSM. 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. Triumph Capital Management acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 220 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% during the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth about $48,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on WSM shares. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $220.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, March 12th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday. Zelman & Associates upgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $205.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 29th. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird decreased their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 19th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $206.38.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

Shares of WSM opened at $180.52 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52 week low of $147.39 and a 52 week high of $222.00. The firm has a market cap of $21.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.49. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $183.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $191.70.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.14. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 51.45%. The firm had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $3.28 EPS. The business’s revenue was down 4.3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be given a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.83%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 32,684 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $180.64, for a total transaction of $5,904,037.76. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at $6,166,688.32. This represents a 48.91% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total transaction of $436,374.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 23,351 shares in the company, valued at $4,494,833.99. This represents a 8.85% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 91,370 shares of company stock worth $16,720,823 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.