Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Shares Acquired by Global X Japan Co. Ltd.

Global X Japan Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 405.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,263 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,221 shares during the period. Global X Japan Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $940,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. True Wealth Design LLC grew its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 76 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 130.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Triumph Capital Management purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% in the third quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 220 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $43,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% during the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.9%

NYSE WSM opened at $180.25 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $21.52 billion, a PE ratio of 20.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 and a beta of 1.64. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $130.07 and a fifty-two week high of $222.00. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $201.52 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $194.45.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $2.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.41 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.94% and a return on equity of 51.45%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $3.28 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WSM has been the topic of a number of research reports. Citigroup raised their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $188.00 to $208.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 6th. Weiss Ratings upgraded Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, March 19th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $220.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Finally, Evercore set a $215.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have assigned a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $209.56.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction of $157,357.72. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at $2,715,497.76. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total value of $7,258,650.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares in the company, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. The trade was a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders sold 55,767 shares of company stock valued at $11,076,808. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.