Ninepoint Partners LP Buys New Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Ninepoint Partners LP purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the 2nd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund purchased 27,217 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $2,023,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the 2nd quarter worth $2,656,062,000. Aristotle Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 22.0% during the first quarter. Aristotle Capital Management LLC now owns 11,140,471 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,031,242,000 after purchasing an additional 2,009,032 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 2.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,139,477 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,199,961,000 after purchasing an additional 147,780 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 9.2% during the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,664,580 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $485,833,000 after purchasing an additional 224,128 shares during the period. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its position 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 worth $342,797,000 after buying an additional 130,940 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Performance

WSM stock opened at $235.37 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $232.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $207.54. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a one year low of $165.51 and a one year high of $254.89. The company has a market capitalization of $27.71 billion, a PE ratio of 26.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.50.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 EPS 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 business had revenue of $1.81 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.85 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 21st. Shareholders of record on Friday, July 17th will be paid a $0.76 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s payout ratio is presently 34.04%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on WSM shares. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $240.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $225.00 to $255.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $261.00 price target (up from $230.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, August 11th. Piper Sandler began coverage on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Monday, July 27th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $253.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $192.00 to $260.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $231.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 15,000 shares of the company’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 transaction of $3,000,000.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $184,704,800. This represents a 1.60% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total value of $128,615.58. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,975,846.05. This represents a 2.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 18,156 shares of company stock worth $3,738,699. Corporate insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

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.