Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM Stake Increased by Renaissance Technologies LLC

Renaissance Technologies LLC boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 13.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 680,500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after acquiring an additional 79,800 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $124,076,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 51.5% in the 4th quarter. Atlantic Union Bankshares Corp now owns 147 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. MidFirst Bank bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC grew its stake 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 purchasing an additional 117 shares in the last quarter. Finally, DV Equities LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. 99.29% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

NYSE WSM opened at $226.41 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $165.51 and a one year high of $244.65. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $215.79 and a 200-day simple moving average of $202.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $26.66 billion, a PE ratio of 25.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.39 and a beta of 1.49.

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

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 34.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently weighed in on WSM shares. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Citigroup reduced their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $208.00 to $200.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Argus set a $230.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, May 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered Williams-Sonoma from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have issued a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $213.12.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $3,000,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $184,704,800. This represents a 1.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 1,112 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $228.49, for a total value of $254,080.88. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 21,717 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,962,117.33. This trade represents a 4.87% 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 36,634 shares of company stock worth $6,812,283 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.