Aberdeen Group plc Buys 11,452 Shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Aberdeen Group plc boosted its stake in Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) by 9.4% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 133,348 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock after buying an additional 11,452 shares during the period. Aberdeen Group plc’s holdings in Williams-Sonoma were worth $23,815,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. True Wealth Design LLC grew 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 last quarter. Triumph Capital Management bought a new stake in Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter worth about $37,000. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its holdings in Williams-Sonoma by 66.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cary Street Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 220 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 88 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in Williams-Sonoma by 57.2% in the 3rd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 228 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 83 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Williams-Sonoma in the 3rd quarter valued at about $48,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 99.29% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WSM has been the subject of a number of research reports. Evercore set a $215.00 price target on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $220.00 price objective on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Thursday, March 12th. Robert W. Baird dropped their price objective on Williams-Sonoma from $235.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, March 19th. UBS Group upped their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $175.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 11th. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Williams-Sonoma from $188.00 to $208.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 6th. One investment 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 data from MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $209.56.

Key Stories Impacting Williams-Sonoma

Here are the key news stories impacting Williams-Sonoma this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised multiple forward-quarter and full‑year earnings estimates (FY2027, FY2028 and FY2029) and lifted several quarterly EPS forecasts, signaling stronger expected profitability and supporting a higher earnings trajectory for WSM. This upgrade cycle is a primary bullish catalyst for the stock. Zacks estimate revisions (summary)
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks’ new long‑range FY2028 ($10.25) and FY2029 ($11.42) EPS projections provide a clearer multi‑year growth view; these raise expectations but also increase dependence on execution against elevated targets. (This item mainly adjusts valuation models rather than creating an immediate directional shock.)
• Negative Sentiment: Some near‑term quarter estimates were trimmed (small cuts to Q1 and Q2 FY2027 EPS), indicating limited short‑term demand/seasonality concerns that could weigh on next quarter’s results if trends persist.
• Negative Sentiment: A Yahoo Finance feature questions whether WSM remains attractively valued after multi‑year share‑price gains — a story investor readers often interpret as a reminder of stretched valuation and profit‑taking risk. That narrative can amplify selling pressure if investors focus on rich multiples and the stock’s run. Is Williams Sonoma (WSM) Still Attractive After Strong Multi Year Share Price Gains

Insider Transactions at Williams-Sonoma

In other news, CEO Laura Alber sold 20,000 shares of Williams-Sonoma stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $183.04, for a total transaction of $3,660,800.00. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 786,537 shares in the company, valued at $143,967,732.48. The trade was a 2.48% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 767 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 14th. The stock was sold at an average price of $205.16, for a total transaction 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have sold a total of 88,451 shares of company stock valued at $16,980,845 over the last 90 days. 1.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Williams-Sonoma Trading Up 0.0%

Shares of WSM opened at $180.21 on Monday. The stock has a market cap of $21.45 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.58. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 1 year low of $130.07 and a 1 year high of $222.00. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $197.85 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $193.47.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, March 18th. The specialty retailer reported $3.04 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.90 by $0.14. The company had revenue of $2.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $2.41 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 51.45% and a net margin of 13.94%.Williams-Sonoma’s revenue was down 4.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.28 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 8.36 EPS for the current year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Friday, April 17th will be issued a $0.76 dividend. This represents a $3.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. This is an increase from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is currently 29.83%.

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.