AustralianSuper Pty Ltd Invests $10.24 Million in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) during the third quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 52,375 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $10,237,000.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. True Wealth Design LLC raised its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 111.8% during the third quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 144 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 76 shares during the last quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 130.8% in the 2nd quarter. Vermillion & White Wealth Management Group LLC now owns 180 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the period. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC boosted its stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% in the third quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 220 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in 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 acquiring an additional 83 shares during the period. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Williams-Sonoma during the third quarter valued at approximately $48,000. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on WSM. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $190.00 to $205.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. TD Cowen reissued a “buy” rating and set a $245.00 price target (up from $210.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $202.00 to $188.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Williams-Sonoma from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, UBS Group set a $175.00 price target on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have issued a Buy rating and ten have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $202.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total value of $157,357.72. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 13,236 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,715,497.76. The trade was a 5.48% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Laura Alber sold 35,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, January 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $207.39, for a total value of $7,258,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 806,537 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $167,267,708.43. This represents a 4.16% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE WSM opened at $199.16 on Wednesday. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $130.07 and a 52-week high of $222.00. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $204.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $195.85. The firm has a market cap of $23.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 1.64.

Williams-Sonoma Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 20th. Stockholders of record on Friday, January 16th were given a $0.66 dividend. This represents a $2.64 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.3%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, January 16th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.04%.

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.