Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Sold by Van ECK Associates Corp

Van ECK Associates Corp reduced its position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 9.8% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 33,906 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after selling 3,702 shares during the period. Van ECK Associates Corp’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $7,903,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on WSM shares. TD Cowen reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, August 10th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $247.00 target price (up from $190.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Evercore set a $245.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, August 27th. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $270.00 target price (up from $250.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, August 27th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and eight have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $244.44.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE:WSM opened at $221.86 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $233.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $208.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $26.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.71, a PEG ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.47. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $165.51 and a 1 year high of $254.89.

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. The company had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.93 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.48% and a net margin of 14.73%.Williams-Sonoma’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $2.00 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.46 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th were issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.4%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 31.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total transaction of $128,615.58. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,195 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,975,846.05. This represents a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 3,156 shares of company stock worth $738,699 over the last quarter. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.