Hsbc Holdings PLC Buys 2,243 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 0.8% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 269,461 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 2,243 shares during the quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC owned about 0.23% of Williams-Sonoma worth $49,083,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. State Street Corp boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% during the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,139,477 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $1,199,961,000 after acquiring an additional 147,780 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 7.5% in the fourth quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,440,452 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $435,840,000 after purchasing an additional 170,991 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 7.3% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 1,919,466 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $342,797,000 after purchasing an additional 130,940 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth $316,920,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 5.5% in the fourth quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,661,365 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $296,703,000 after purchasing an additional 86,807 shares during the period. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total transaction of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. The trade was a 4.87% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was 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 $184,704,800. The trade was a 1.60% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 36,634 shares of company stock valued at $6,812,283. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WSM has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Bank of America assumed coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, June 12th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price target for the company. Barclays set a $190.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, May 22nd. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Finally, Evercore set a $200.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $212.65.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 1.9%

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $223.96 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $211.81 and a 200 day moving average price of $201.64. The firm has a market cap of $26.37 billion, a PE ratio of 25.08, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 1.49. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1-year low of $165.51 and a 1-year high of $244.65.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 13.81% and a return on equity of 53.29%. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.85 EPS. Williams-Sonoma’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.39 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be given a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.