Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. Invests $67.40 Million in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 289,135 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $67,397,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WSM. Aristotle Capital Management LLC grew its position in Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% during the 1st quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $2,031,242,000 after purchasing an additional 2,009,032 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 4th quarter valued at $316,920,000. Boston Partners acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at $254,778,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at $188,603,000. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 102.8% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 1,108,589 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $202,129,000 after purchasing an additional 561,977 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on WSM. Seaport Research Partners reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, August 14th. Morgan Stanley set a $210.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Bank of America started coverage on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, June 12th. They set a “buy” rating and a $250.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group lifted their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. One equities 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $231.88.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total value of $128,615.58. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 20,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,975,846.05. This represents a 2.52% decrease in their position. The sale 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. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 quarter, insiders have sold 18,156 shares of company stock valued at $3,738,699. 1.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Up 0.4%

WSM stock opened at $242.34 on Thursday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $165.51 and a 12-month high of $254.89. The company has a market cap of $28.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.14, a PEG ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 1.50. The company has a 50 day moving average of $231.71 and a two-hundred day moving average of $207.33.

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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.85 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th will be issued a dividend of $0.76 per share. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, July 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.