Legal & General Group Plc Takes $143.53 Million Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Legal & General Group Plc purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 615,728 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $143,526,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WSM. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its position 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 valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. MidFirst Bank bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Ballast Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the first quarter worth about $30,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 229.4% in the first quarter. Millstone Evans Group LLC now owns 168 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on WSM. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $248.00 to $252.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Bank of America reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $261.00 target price (up from $250.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Royal Bank Of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $260.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday. Finally, TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, August 10th. One research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $244.44.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total value of $128,615.58. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 20,195 shares in the company, valued at $4,975,846.05. This trade represents a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders sold a total of 3,156 shares of company stock valued at $738,699 in the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

More Williams-Sonoma News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Results exceeded expectations: Williams-Sonoma reported adjusted EPS of $2.10 versus the approximately $2.05–$2.08 consensus, while revenue rose 6.7% year over year to $1.96 billion, above estimates of roughly $1.93 billion. Williams-Sonoma earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Comparable sales and guidance improved: Comparable brand revenue grew 6.2%, with every major brand reportedly posting positive comps. Management raised fiscal 2026 revenue guidance to $8.2 billion–$8.4 billion and forecast comparable-brand growth of 4.0%–6.5%, signaling confidence in continued market-share gains. Williams-Sonoma guidance article
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts lifted selected targets: KeyBanc raised its price target to $270, while Royal Bank of Canada reiterated “outperform” with a $260 target. Citigroup also increased its target to $252 from $248, although it maintained a neutral rating. Analyst target updates
• Neutral Sentiment: Wall Street remains divided: Morgan Stanley raised its target to $240 but kept an “equal weight” rating; Guggenheim reaffirmed “neutral,” and Barclays maintained “hold.” This suggests the earnings beat is recognized, but valuation and execution risks remain concerns.
• Negative Sentiment: Tariffs continue to pressure profitability: Adjusted margins declined despite the sales beat, with higher tariff costs creating a risk to earnings if they persist. Housing-market weakness and cautious consumers also remain potential headwinds. Williams-Sonoma tariff and margin article

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $238.22 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $165.51 and a 1 year high of $254.89. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $233.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $208.30. The company has a market cap of $28.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.38, a PEG ratio of 2.60 and a beta of 1.50.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.08 by $0.02. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.48% and a net margin of 14.73%.The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.93 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $2.00 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th were given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 34.04%.

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.