Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac Acquires Shares of 2,786 Williams-Sonoma, Inc. $WSM

Fideuram Asset Management Ireland dac acquired a new stake in shares of Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (NYSE:WSM) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm acquired 2,786 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock, valued at approximately $553,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.2% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 997,414 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $194,947,000 after acquiring an additional 231,489 shares during the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 5,019.6% during the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 89,388 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $15,964,000 after acquiring an additional 87,642 shares during the last quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 10.2% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 972,810 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $174,473,000 after acquiring an additional 89,779 shares during the last quarter. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich bought a new position in shares of Williams-Sonoma during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $4,605,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Williams-Sonoma by 30.7% during the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 2,269,461 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $443,566,000 after acquiring an additional 532,995 shares during the last quarter. 99.29% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Williams-Sonoma Stock Down 0.8%

Shares of WSM opened at $203.89 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $24.01 billion, a PE ratio of 22.83, a P/E/G ratio of 2.54 and a beta of 1.49. The business has a fifty day moving average of $185.98 and a 200 day moving average of $191.90. Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has a 52-week low of $152.20 and a 52-week high of $222.00.

Williams-Sonoma (NYSE:WSM) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 21st. The specialty retailer reported $1.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.80 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $1.81 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.80 billion. Williams-Sonoma had a return on equity of 53.29% and a net margin of 13.81%.Williams-Sonoma’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.85 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will post 9.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Williams-Sonoma Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Friday, April 17th were given a $0.76 dividend. This is a boost from Williams-Sonoma’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.66. This represents a $3.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.5%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, April 17th. Williams-Sonoma’s dividend payout ratio is 29.56%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Williams-Sonoma news, EVP Karalyn Yearout sold 2,267 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $192.49, for a total value of $436,374.83. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 23,351 shares in the company, valued at $4,494,833.99. This trade represents a 8.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, CFO Jeffrey Howie sold 1,419 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $188.45, for a total value of $267,410.55. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 34,138 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,433,306.10. The trade was a 3.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders have sold a total of 106,370 shares of company stock worth $19,720,823 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on WSM. Wells Fargo & Company set a $190.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $192.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. Evercore set a $200.00 target price on Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Tuesday, April 14th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on Williams-Sonoma from $250.00 to $225.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $225.00 target price (up from $220.00) on shares of Williams-Sonoma in a research report on Friday, May 22nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eight have given a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Williams-Sonoma currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $209.06.

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.