Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) Shares Purchased by National Pension Service

National Pension Service increased its holdings in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 212.4% in the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 313,335 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 213,035 shares during the quarter. National Pension Service’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $48,542,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Choreo LLC purchased a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $273,000. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 1st quarter worth about $61,000. Quent Capital LLC lifted its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 19.7% in the 1st quarter. Quent Capital LLC now owns 358 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $114,000 after buying an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 1st quarter worth about $1,334,000. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in Williams-Sonoma by 71.7% during the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 1,032 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $328,000 after buying an additional 431 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.27, for a total value of $5,810,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 1,030,956 shares in the company, valued at $149,766,978.12. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 40,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.27, for a total transaction of $5,810,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 1,030,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $149,766,978.12. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Karalyn Smith sold 11,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.66, for a total value of $1,494,726.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 15,150 shares in the company, valued at $2,040,099. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.50% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Down 0.2 %

WSM stock opened at $134.90 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $17.04 billion, a PE ratio of 16.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 1.76. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $141.66 and its 200 day moving average price is $145.17. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 12-month low of $71.92 and a 12-month high of $174.26.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 22nd. The specialty retailer reported $1.74 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.61 by $0.13. Williams-Sonoma had a net margin of 14.29% and a return on equity of 51.57%. The firm had revenue of $1.79 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.81 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.56 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 4.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 7.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 18th will be given a $0.57 dividend. This represents a $2.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.69%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, October 18th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 27.39%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WSM. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $147.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 23rd. Wedbush cut Williams-Sonoma from an “outperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $150.00 to $135.00 in a report on Wednesday, October 30th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Williams-Sonoma from $158.00 to $145.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 19th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $148.00 to $156.00 in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Finally, TD Cowen lifted their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $150.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have given a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $139.83.

Williams-Sonoma Profile

Williams-Sonoma, Inc operates as an omni-channel specialty retailer of various products for home. It offers cooking, dining, and entertaining products, such as cookware, tools, electrics, cutlery, tabletop and bar, outdoor, furniture, and a library of cookbooks under the Williams Sonoma Home brand, as well as home furnishings and decorative accessories under the Williams Sonoma lifestyle brand; and furniture, bedding, lighting, rugs, table essentials, and decorative accessories under the Pottery Barn brand.