United Capital Financial Advisors LLC Makes New $879,000 Investment in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

United Capital Financial Advisors LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 3,769 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $879,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Pacific Heights Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $34,965,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $9,295,000. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,262,000. Redwood Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $1,153,000. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $761,000. Institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on WSM. Piper Sandler started coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, July 27th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 target price on the stock. KeyCorp reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $270.00 price target (up from $250.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday. Credit Suisse Group set a $261.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, August 24th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $210.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Evercore set a $245.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and nine have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $244.44.

More Williams-Sonoma News

Here are the key news stories impacting Williams-Sonoma this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Williams-Sonoma exceeded expectations with adjusted earnings of $2.10 per share versus the $2.08 consensus and revenue of $1.96 billion versus estimates of $1.93 billion. Comparable sales increased 6.2%, reflecting broad-based growth across its brands, including Pottery Barn and West Elm. Williams-Sonoma Fiscal Q2 Earnings Snapshot
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its full-year revenue and earnings outlook, signaling confidence that market-share gains and improving comparable-sales trends can continue in the second half. Analysts highlighted that the company has moved beyond its most difficult year-over-year margin comparison, while comps are accelerating. Williams-Sonoma’s Most Difficult Margin Comparison Is Behind It
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts raised their price targets following the results. KeyBanc increased its target to $270, RBC reaffirmed an Outperform rating with a $260 target, and Morgan Stanley lifted its target to $240 while maintaining an Equal Weight rating. Jim Cramer also argued that the post-earnings selloff did not reflect the strength of the report. Analysts Increase Forecasts on Williams-Sonoma
• Neutral Sentiment: Citigroup raised its price target from $248 to $252 but retained a Neutral rating, while Guggenheim also maintained Neutral. This reflects continued confidence in the business but limited conviction that the current valuation offers substantial upside. Analyst Insights on Williams-Sonoma
• Negative Sentiment: Gross margin declined because of tariffs, creating a key risk to earnings if higher costs cannot be offset through pricing, sourcing, or operating efficiencies. The company also remains exposed to a weak housing market and cautious discretionary spending. Williams-Sonoma Grew Comps 6.2% and Raised Guidance
• Negative Sentiment: The muted market reaction suggests investors may have been positioned for an even stronger report, or may be taking profits after a substantial rally. At roughly 24 times earnings and near its 52-week high, WSM’s valuation leaves less room for execution disappointments.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

NYSE:WSM opened at $235.07 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $233.48 and its 200 day simple moving average is $208.42. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $165.51 and a one year high of $254.89. The company has a market cap of $27.68 billion, a PE ratio of 24.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.50.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, August 26th. The specialty retailer reported $2.10 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.02. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.73% and a return on equity of 53.48%. The firm had revenue of $1.96 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.93 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.00 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.45 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th were paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is currently 31.12%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, August 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total value of $128,615.58. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 20,195 shares in the company, valued at $4,975,846.05. This represents a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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. Insiders have sold a total of 3,156 shares of company stock valued at $738,699 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.