Evolve Private Wealth LLC Acquires New Position in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Evolve Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 17,692 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $4,124,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WSM. Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $1,711,000. Korea Investment CORP purchased a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at approximately $11,151,000. EP Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth $1,285,000. Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth $283,000. Finally, Callan Family Office LLC acquired a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the second quarter worth $592,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Price Performance

Shares of Williams-Sonoma stock opened at $237.34 on Friday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $165.51 and a 1 year high of $254.89. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $232.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $207.75. The company has a market capitalization of $27.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 1.50.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.85 earnings per share. Williams-Sonoma’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 21st. Investors of record on Friday, July 17th were paid a dividend of $0.76 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 17th. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.04%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on WSM shares. Seaport Research Partners reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Friday, August 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 11th. Barclays set a $190.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, May 22nd. Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $248.00 price objective (up from $200.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research note on Thursday, August 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Friday, August 14th. One research 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 company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $231.88.

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In related news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 522 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $246.39, for a total value of $128,615.58. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 20,195 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,975,846.05. The trade was a 2.52% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through 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 business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $200.00, for a total transaction of $3,000,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 923,524 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $184,704,800. The trade was a 1.60% decrease in their position. 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. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 18,156 shares of company stock valued at $3,738,699. 1.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.