EFG Asset Management North America Corp. Boosts Stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

EFG Asset Management North America Corp. lifted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 51.5% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 14,593 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,961 shares during the quarter. EFG Asset Management North America Corp.’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $2,852,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. True Wealth Design LLC lifted its position in Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% during the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 76 shares during the period. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 130.8% in the second quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% during the third quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 83 shares during the period. Richardson Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the second quarter valued at approximately $48,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 1.8%

NYSE WSM opened at $208.44 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $24.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.93, a PEG ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 1.58. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $190.35 and a 200 day moving average of $191.91. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a twelve month low of $130.07 and a twelve month high of $219.98.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 19th. The specialty retailer reported $1.96 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.09. The business had revenue of $1.88 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.86 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.10% and a net margin of 14.30%.The business’s revenue was up 4.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.96 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 20th. Shareholders of record on Friday, January 16th will be given a dividend of $0.66 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, January 16th. This represents a $2.64 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.3%. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.04%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on WSM shares. UBS Group set a $175.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Monday, December 29th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $195.00 and gave the company an “in-line” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 23rd. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price target (up from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada set a $206.00 price objective on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, November 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seven have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $200.76.

Insider Buying and Selling at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, January 14th. The shares were sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total value of $157,357.72. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 13,236 shares in the company, valued at $2,715,497.76. This trade represents a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, January 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total transaction of $7,258,650.00. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $167,267,708.43. This represents a 4.16% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 65,767 shares of company stock worth $12,802,440. 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.